


An Exercise in Trust

by impalagirl, wilddragonflying



Series: Roleplays [24]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Deputy Stiles Stilinski, Derek is Stiles's new babysitter, Discussion of Past Abuse, F/M, First Kiss, Kidnapping, M/M, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Underage Sex, Single Parent Stiles Stilinski, Slow Build, okay now that all the bad stuff is out of the way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-11
Updated: 2015-02-11
Packaged: 2018-03-11 22:09:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3334607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/impalagirl/pseuds/impalagirl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/wilddragonflying/pseuds/wilddragonflying
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek Hale hasn't been able to hold a steady job for quite some time, thanks to his past. When an ad is posted for a babysitting job, Derek(thanks to his experience with his large extended family) jumps at the chance to maybe start rebuilding his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Exercise in Trust

**Author's Note:**

> So, if you DIDN'T read the tags(although why wouldn't you, since they're there for a reason), then read this:
> 
> In this story, a few of the characters discuss Derek's past. This includes:  
> -Being stalked  
> -Kidnapping  
> -Physical and Sexual Assault
> 
> As a result, Derek has PTSD-- and has two episodes in this story-- one when Scott sends Allison in his place, and one when Lydia starts yelling at Derek and invades his personal space. I do not have any personal experience with PTSD, but everyone is a bit different from what I understand. I hope that I've managed to do a good job of portraying this; if you have any questions, comments, or concerns about my portrayal here, please do not hesitate to express them.
> 
> My portrayal of Derek's PTSD should in no way be taken as an example of what all-- or even most-- cases are like.

Derek stared at the newspaper in shock, cup of tea forgotten beside his empty plate. Could it-- Could that _really_  be a job he could apply for? His parents were more than happy (or maybe just guilt-ridden enough) to pay for his apartment, and welfare and unemployment covered his groceries, but it had been several years since Derek had been able to handle a full-time, well-paying job.

_Needed: all-day minder for intelligent five year old. Single father works almost all day Mon-Thurs, child has had difficulty with daycare. 8AM-7:30PM Mon-Thurs, $12.50/hr._

The job sounded almost too good to be true. Derek had always liked kids, and they him. Derek grabbed for his phone, dialing the number listed and crossing his fingers as it rang, praying that the job would still be available.

Stiles fought the urge to curse when his phone began to ring, but he couldn't exactly ignore it. Gathering all of his daughter's hair into one hand and shoving the handle of the hairbrush between his teeth, he grabbed the phone and wedged it between his shoulder and his ear. "Stilinski," he mumbled, spitting the brush out. "Claudia, would you stay _still_ , I'm almost finished!"

"Hi, um, I'm uh--" _Shit_ , Derek had managed to forget he'd have to deal with the kid's father as well. "The ad," he blurted. “I'm uh, calling about the ad."

"Oh!" The hairbrush crashed to the floor, and then so did the phone. "Oh, _shine a light_! Hang on, I've dropped you! Honey, if you could just--"

"Daddy, your phone is on the floor. He probably can't hear you."

"I know, baby, I know, but..." Stiles straightened up again, the phone in hand and the brush lost somewhere beneath the sofa. "Hello? Claud, why don't we leave your hair down today? Yeah? Good girl, go put your shoes on." Claudia ran obediently from the room, and Stiles took a breath. "Okay. Sorry about that. Are you still with me?"

Derek, who'd jumped and then started automatically counting his breaths when the clattering had echoed through the phone's speaker, nodded. Then he remembered the man couldn't see him. "Yes. Yes, I'm here."

"Great." Stiles sounded as relieved as he felt, and he sank down onto the sofa and reached for a pen. "Sorry again; it's a little manic here this morning. My name's Stiles, by the way. And my daughter's name is Claudia, as you probably heard."

Derek smiled. "I heard." He hesitated, the added, "I'm Derek."

"Derek," Stiles repeated, writing it down. "Well, it's great to hear from you. You're actually the first person to answer the ad so I'm not sure how to do this, but I guess... Could you come over in a day or so for a chat?"

"Yeah, sure," Derek agreed. "Tomorrow afternoon, maybe?"

"That's perfect." Stiles rattled off his address and took down Derek's surname; something about it tugged at the back of his memory, but he forgot all about it when an almighty crash came from the next room "Okay, Mr Hale, I'll see you tomorrow!" Stiles cried, hanging up and rushing off to wrangle his daughter.

 

************

The next afternoon found Derek dressed in a nice shirt and his last clean pair of jeans, peering at the mailboxes as he drove down the road Stiles had listed as his. "Ah ha," he cried softly, spotting number 342. He pulled into the driveway and carefully parked.

It was a nice house, two stories, and Derek rang the doorbell carefully, absently fiddling with his hands and counting the slats in the siding as he waited for Mr. Stilinski to answer.

Stiles was also dressed nicely today, but that was only because he was dressed for work; he'd come home on his lunch break and was due to return to the station after he'd spoken to Derek. He answered the door with a big smile, that faltered momentarily when he realised how attractive the man standing in front of him was. "Hi! You must be Derek, come on in." It was some kind of miracle that he managed not to trip over his own feet as he stepped back to let Derek inside.

Derek gave Stiles a tentative smile as he stepped inside, habitually wiping each foot twice on the doormat. "This looks nice," he commented, looking around; his gaze avoided Stiles as much as possible.

Stiles laughed. "Thanks. It's normally a lot messier but, y'know, first impressions and everything." He led the way into the living room and sat down on the sofa, gesturing for Derek to do the same. It took him a moment to realise that he was staring. "I'm sorry-- you're a bit older than I was expecting."

Derek nodded in understanding, though he chose instead to sit in the armchair across from Stiles. "I have lots of little cousins and some nieces and nephews," he offered. "I usually watch them at family get-togethers." It was about the only thing he _could_  do at family get-togethers now.

Stiles smiled. "You're going to need the experience," he chuckled. "Claudia can be quite a handful. Not that she's a bad kid, she's just... eager."

Derek chuckled quietly. "Can't be worse than eleven kids under thirteen," he said confidently.

Stiles had to concede that point, and he did so with a laugh. They spent the next half hour going over Derek's experience in more detail, as well as what would be expected of him should he take the position. Stiles explained that Claudia was a little advanced for her age and so was more of a challenge than most of her peers, and gave a rough outline of his own work schedule to make Derek aware that the hours stated in the ad weren't exactly set in stone. It soon became apparent that both parties were happy with the potential arrangements, and so all that was left was for Stiles to ask, "Is there anything else you want to know, or think I should know?"

Derek nodded, reaching for his wallet and tugging out a card. "I have PTSD," he explained, handing over the business card with his therapist's number on it. "I do have episodes sometimes, but they're triggered by very specific things; I've never had one around children. Dr. Deaton can answer any questions you have."

"PTSD," Stiles repeated faintly, looking down at the card. Well _shit_. He couldn't turn Derek away because of this, and he didn't want to, but it might do well to talk to this Dr. Deaton. He met Derek's gaze again and gave him a weak smile. "I hope you understand that I can't make a decision about the job until I call this number?"

Derek nodded. "That's why I brought it," he explained, gesturing to the card. He'd called Deaton himself that morning and let him know about the situation. "He's expecting a call."

"Thank you for telling me," Stiles said sincerely. "And thank you for coming. I won't keep you any longer, but I'll be in touch, okay?"

Derek nodded. "Thank you," he said before heading for the door.

Stiles saw Derek out, thanking him again for his time, and then headed back inside to grab the phone. Having his father for his boss meant that he could take some liberties with his lunch hour, especially when he was using it to secure childcare. He pulled the business card back out of his pocket and carefully keyed in the number written on it; the phone rang twice before being answered by a pleasant-sounding woman who put him through to Dr. Deaton straight away.

"Hi doctor," Stiles began when Deaton had introduced himself. "I'm Stiles Stilinski. Derek Hale saw me just now about a job opportunity and told me I should call?"

"Ah, yes-- the childcare job, correct? Derek did tell me about that. What concerns do you have?"

Stiles was grateful the doctor couldn't see him blush. "I don't know, exactly," he confessed. "I've never dealt directly with someone with Derek's condition, so I'm not really sure what questions I should be asking. Except - I don't want this to sound insensitive or anything, but will my daughter be safe with him? Derek said he's never had an episode around children, but I guess there's a first time for everything, right?"

"There is, yes-- but Derek's PTSD does not come from combat. He went through a couple of extremely traumatic events, both perpetrated by women, and that is what triggers an episode most often: an extremely confident or aggressive woman. Derek has been dealing with this for a few years now, and he has quite a handle on it. He takes refuge in numbers, and when he feels uncertain or as if he is about to have an episode, he will begin counting anything nearby until he feels in control again. As I said, he has yet to have an episode be triggered by a child, and children are the only ones he is completely comfortable around; his experiences have made him wary around adults.

"Derek was very clear to me that I was to be completely-- brutally, I believe was the word he used this morning-- honest with you; I would have been anyway, but I feel your daughter would be safe with Derek. As long as she understands that sometimes Derek needs a moment of quiet, then everything should be fine. And as you have my number, if you ever have any other concerns, you are welcome to call me."

Stiles was a little taken aback, but he appreciated Deaton's honesty. Part of him wanted to know exactly what Derek had been through, but it wasn't his business and it would be disrespectful to both Deaton and Derek to ask. Instead, he said, "Thank you. Is there anything I can do to make him comfortable; to make sure he doesn't feel threatened here?"

Deaton hummed thoughtfully. "As I said, make sure your daughter understands that Derek sometimes needs a moment. Aside from that, I would warn him if you are expecting a delivery from FedEx, UPS, or anything else that would entail a stranger coming to your house while he might be there."

"Absolutely," Stiles agreed. He'd already told Derek that they lived with his dad, and it would probably be wise to introduce them before Derek started working. Which reminded him. "My best friend will sometimes come by to relieve Derek if I can't get away from work. I'll make sure Derek knows who he is, but should I ask his wife to keep her distance?"

"Yes; if she must relieve Derek, make sure that he knows to expect her, and knows what she looks like. Make sure she and her husband know the situation as well, and know not to be offended if Derek keeps his distance and doesn't speak. If she doesn't act overly aggressive then Derek should be okay."

Stiles nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. Thank you, doctor."

"Anytime, Mr. Stilinski."

 

************

The sheriff looked up with a raised eyebrow when his son walked through the door to his office. "You're a bit late," he said matter-of-factly, going back to reading reports.

Stiles grimaced. "Sorry," he said, taking a seat opposite his father. "I had to make a call after Derek left."

"Derek? That man who called about minding Claud?" the sheriff asked, looking up. "What did you decide?"

"I decided yes," Stiles answered. "He seems like a nice guy and he comes from a big family, so he has a lot of experience with children. Claudia will love him. The only thing is, he has PTSD."

"PTSD? Are we talking about Derek Hale?"

Stiles' eyes widened. "Yeah. Do you know what happened to him?"

The sheriff sighed. "When he was sixteen, he was kidnapped by Kate Argent; she sexually and physically assaulted him, and then tried to kill him. Seven years later, Jennifer Blake, one of Kate's ex-girlfriends, tried to finish the job. It took police two weeks to find him the first time, and a month and half the second. Blake learned from Argent's mistakes, and she had one hell of a vendetta."

Stiles didn't even try to close his mouth. "Oh my God," he breathed at last. "Jesus _Christ_ , that's horrible. I thought I recognised his name, but I had no idea..."

The sheriff nodded. "He was in a mental hospital for two years, and hasn't been able to hold a steady job since; Dr. Alan Deaton has sent in reports about him with Derek's consent. He has difficulty working around adults, particularly women. I'm not surprised he'd go for a job babysitting."

"You don't mind that I gave him the job, do you?" Stiles asked. He'd called Derek on his way to the station and they'd agreed that he would start the coming Monday. "I spoke to Deaton myself; I think Claudia will be safe with him."

"I don't know Derek personally, but Deaton is one of the best therapists and psychiatrists in the country. If he says Claudia will be safe with Derek, then I say at least give him a test run, see how he and Claud get along," the sheriff said after a moment of deliberation.

Stiles grinned. "Thanks Dad. I really think it's going to work out."

 

************

The weekend found Derek reading over as many parenting blogs as he could find-- he knew what his family members liked, but Stiles hadn't given him much to go on concerning what Claudia liked. He also added a good twenty-plus rows to his latest crochet project, a simple blanket that would probably spend its life tucked away in a closet.

Monday morning, Derek arrived at seventy-thirty on the dot, just as Stiles had requested; he had explained to Derek that he lived with his father, given that he himself was a single father law enforcement officer, and that his father was the sheriff; Derek vaguely remembered the old sheriff, but apparently Sheriff Stilinski had been elected just before Derek's second ordeal, and that had happened on the other side of the country, way out of Stilinski's jurisdiction. Derek rang the doorbell just as he had the last time he'd been there, and then he waited.

This time, when Stiles answered the door he was holding a little girl on his hip. "Hey Derek! This is Claudia. Come inside, my dad's in the living room."

Derek smiled at Claudia as he followed Stiles inside. "Hello, Sheriff," he said with a nod when he caught sight of the elder Stilinski.

"Good morning, Derek," the sheriff greeted, standing up to shake Derek's hand. "I have to rush off in a minute, but I wanted to meet you first and wish you luck." He gave Claudia a fond smile. "Not that you'll need it."

Derek forced a smile, shaking the sheriff's hand as quickly as he could. "Thank you. I think we'll be fine, too."

"Claud, are you gonna say hello?" Stiles asked, bouncing his daughter a little.

She hid her face in Stiles' chest, but after a moment stuck out a hand. "'Lo."

Derek smiled, taking Claudia's hand and shaking it gently. "Hello, Claudia-- that's a pretty name."

Claudia whipped her head around to stare at Derek. "It was my grandma's name," she confided.

"Really?" Derek asked. "She must have been very pretty to have such a nice name; you are."

Claudia giggled, and she turned to her father. "I like him. He can stay."

The sheriff couldn't repress a grin as he clapped Stiles on the shoulder; he was impressed with how quickly Derek had charmed Stiles's daughter, and he had a feeling this was going to turn out just fine. "C'mon son; we should head out."

Stiles nodded and set Claudia down. "She's had her breakfast," he told Derek. "So she should be okay until around twelve. There's some grapes in the fridge if she wants to snack. And of course help yourself to whatever you want." He stopped himself before his mouth ran away with him, flushing delicately. "Umm. If you have any problems, my numbers are on the notice board in the kitchen."

Derek listened intently, nodding when Stiles finished speaking. "What about TV or toys, things like that?" he asked; he wanted to make sure that he at least had an idea of where everything was and what was allowed and what wasn't.

"Toys have to be cleared away before dinner," Stiles answered. "She doesn't really watch much TV but there's a movie in the player that she can watch before bed if she wants to."

Derek nodded again. "Okay." He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Did you tell Claudia about... about Deaton's advice?"

Stiles glanced at his father. "She knows that if you tell her you need some quiet time, she's to go to her room and play quietly until you say she can come out," he said. "We told her that your head hurts sometimes so she has to be patient and try not to overwhelm you. Is that okay?"

Derek nodded, relieved. "Thank you. Hopefully nothing will happen for a while." Derek glanced at the clock. "About how long does it take for you to get from the station to here?"

"Maybe ten minutes?" Stiles hedged, following Derek's gaze. "And we have five. Please call if you need anything, okay?"

"Absolutely," Derek reassured Stiles. "Your number is one the fridge, right?"

"The notice board," Stiles corrected with a smile. "Next to the fridge."

"Next to the fridge," Derek repeated. "Got it. Is there anything else I should know about?"

"That's about everything," Stiles said with certainty. "I'll try to be home around seven thirty, but it might be closer to eight. She can stay up to wait for me if she wants to, just this once."

"All right. What's her usual bedtime, seven?"

Stiles nodded. "There about. No later than seven thirty."

"All right." Derek offered Stiles a small smile. "I think she and I will get along well, and I swear I will call you if there's any issue."

Stiles beamed. "I'm sure you'll have a great time," he agreed, even as he bent down to hug his daughter. "You be good for Derek, okay baby?"

Claudia giggled and pulled back. "I will. I love you."

"Love you too," Stiles returned. He gave her a kiss and straightened up.

Derek gave a half-smile. "We'll be okay, I think," he offered. "You should get going, or you'll be late."

Stiles looked around to find that his father had already left the house; he could hear the motor of his squad car running outside. He flushed again. "Okay, okay, I'm leaving," he laughed, backing out of the room. "Have fun!"

Claudia wasn't even looking at him, was too busy tugging at Derek's jeans and asking him if he'd like to play with her dolls, so Stiles' exit went largely unnoticed. He had a big grin on his face when he got into the car, one that his dad matched. They already knew they'd made the right decision.

 

************

Derek and Claudia had a good day-- there was only one incident, when Derek accidentally served dried cranberries instead of raisins with Claudia's lunch. Claudia had insisted on staying up to wait for her dad; she said he never let her stay up, and she wanted to tell him all about their day.

They were sitting on the living room floor playing with Claudia's dolls when Stiles pulled up, and Claudia immediately leaped to her feet, dolls forgotten as she rushed the door. Derek followed more sedately, picking up the dolls and placing them on the hallway table. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Claudia climbing her dad like a tree, chattering like a monkey about their day. "Let him get in the door, Dee," Derek chided with a soft chuckle.

"Dee?" Stiles asked, a laugh in his voice as he hauled Claudia up into his arms and kissed her. "Nicknames already? We must be getting along." He kicked the front door shut behind him and let Derek lead the way into the house. "So you guys had a good day?"

Derek nodded, shuffling over to the coat stand to grab his coat and yank his boots on. "Yes; Claudia is a very well-behaved child."

Stiles turned to Derek with a grateful smile. "Only for people she likes," he insisted. "So, same time tomorrow?"

Derek nodded, a small smile on his face. "I'll be here."

"Awesome." Stiles' grin was blinding. "Say goodbye, sweetie."

Claudia stifled a yawn, her head now resting on Stiles' shoulder. "Bye, Der."

"Bye Dee," Derek said with a smile and a wave. "See you tomorrow."

Stiles only felt a little bad for watching Derek's ass as he walked down the path.

 

************

Things continued well for a few weeks, but one warm spring day found Claudia restless; nothing Derek did satisfied her for long, and when she finally said she'd like to go play outside, Derek got an idea. He pulled out his phone and dialed Stiles's number, absently counting his finger beats as he waited for the other man to pick up.

A few moments later, the phone connected. "Stilinski."

"It's Derek; I was wondering if I could take Claudia to the park? She's going a bit stir-crazy."

Stiles smiled and tucked the phone between his shoulder and his ear. He'd been stuck shuffling papers around all day and it was nice to hear a friendly voice. "I don't see why not," he answered easily. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Derek reassured Stiles. "Just bored and not wanting to do the usual things. I thought a change of scenery might do the trick." Over the past few weeks, Derek had started to trust Stiles and his dad; they were quickly joining Deaton and one of his old high school-- and then college-- buddies, Vernon Boyd, as people Derek felt comfortable around.

"Good idea," Stiles said warmly. "I might be a little late tonight, but not by more than half an hour. Make sure she goes to sleep for me?"

"Absolutely," Derek agreed. "I'll do my best."

"Thanks, Derek. Have a good time at the park."

"We will; see you later."

 

************

Claudia was very much relieved to be taken outside; just seeing the sky made her feel free and unrestrained for the first time all day. She pretty much abandoned Derek as soon as they got the park, burning off the energy that was making her itch by running until she had to stop. The reason for this was that she was flat on her face in the grass.

Derek jogged to catch up to his charge, crouching beside her. "You all right there, Dee?"

Claudia's tears dried almost immediately and she gave Derek a miserable nod.

"Aw, come on, now," said a kind voice. The pair looked up to see an old man peering down at them with a mostly-toothless smile. He had witnessed the fall but had been too slow to reach Claudia before Derek. "Give your daddy a smile."

Derek, who'd helped Dee up and was currently brushing off her clothes and checking for scrapes, barely glanced up. "I'm just the babysitter," he corrected, focusing on Claudia; aside from some slight scrapes on her palms, she was fine. "There; nothing we need to cut off or sew up," he said brightly, beaming at Claudia. "Just a little scrape on your palms."

Claudia wasn't even paying attention; she was looking after the old man who had walked away with a mumbled apology. "Why did he think you were my daddy?" she asked.

"Most babysitters are a lot younger than me," Derek explained. "And they're usually girls."

"Well that's stupid," Claudia decided. "You're the best babysitter in the world."

Derek couldn't help but laugh, giving Claudia a quick hug. "Thank you; you're the best five-year-old in the world."

"I know," Claudia said confidently. She looked down at her hands, as though suddenly feeling the sting. "Can we go home now?"

Derek barely refrained from rolling his eyes; typical five-year-old. "Only if you promise you're not going to complain about being bored when we get there," he warned. "That's why we came to the park, remember?"

Claudia considered that for a moment. "We can stay. But can we at least find somewhere to wash my hands?"

Derek chuckled. "Of course; c'mon, there's a bathroom just over here." Luckily it was one of those single-room unisex bathrooms, so they didn't have to worry about running into other people.

After they got Claudia's hands washed, Derek turned her loose on the playground, selecting a bench that had a good view of the whole area to watch her from. He briefly cursed himself for forgetting his crocheting; this would have been a perfect opportunity to work on his latest project-- a shawl for one of his niece's dolls.

Derek jumped when a young woman sat down on the other end of the bench, an empty stroller next to her and a screaming boy running from her towards the seesaw. Derek offered her a quick smile, then focused his attention on the playground, finding Claudia waiting her turn for the biggest slide on the playground.

The woman, however, didn't seem to notice this blatant dismissal; not even a minute had passed when she leaned toward Derek and asked pleasantly, "So which one's yours?"

Derek shifted away from her, uncomfortable, but nodded in Claudia's direction. "Going down the big slide."

The woman smiled. "She's gonna be a looker," she said warmly. "My name's Paige."

Derek hesitated before mumbling, "Derek," in answer to the woman's introduction.

Paige's expression softened slightly. "You don't want to talk to me, do you, Derek?"

"Nothing personal," Derek muttered, not looking away from Claudia.

"It's fine," Paige said, standing up to leave. "You really do have a beautiful little girl, though."

Derek nodded, not able to bring himself to correct Paige as he had the other man earlier. "Thanks."

 

************

They stayed at the park for a good while longer, and Claudia tired herself out enough that she was fast asleep when Stiles got home. He and Derek had gone past the point of needing her there to keep things from getting awkward that first week, so they chatted amiably for a few minutes before Derek went on his way.

The next morning, as usual, Stiles was told all about the previous day for the second time, but this time from the perspective of an excitable five year old. It had been a comfort at first, knowing that the two versions always matched up, but now Stiles just nodded along, not really listening while he attempted to tame his daughter's mane. This morning, however, a little detail that Derek had missed cropped up. The sheriff let Derek in as he was leaving, and Claudia twisted in his grip to look at him, causing Stiles to lose his grip on her hair lest he pull her head off.

"Excuse me, what did we say about keeping still?"

"An old grandpa called Derek my daddy yesterday!"

Derek froze in the process of hanging his coat up. "Dee!"

"Well he did!" Claudia cried, sticking out her tongue at Derek. " _Der_!"

"Hey, rude," Stiles admonished, covering her mouth and not even flinching when she licked his hand. He grinned at Derek over her head. "You've gone a lovely shade of pink over there."

Of course, Stiles's words only made it _worse._  "It wasn't a big deal," he explained. "I'm surprised she even really remembered it."

"It's cool," Stiles assured him, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "It had to happen eventually, right?"

"Eventually," Derek agreed. He hesitated, but he'd made it a point to be honest with Stiles. "There was a-- a woman; she thought the same."

Stiles' expression changed quickly to one of concern. "Was it okay?" he asked gently.

Derek shrugged. "She seemed... okay. Didn't push."

Stiles nodded, relieved for Derek. "Don't feel like you have to take her out again today, okay?"

The corner of Derek's mouth lifted in a half-smile. "I know, but thanks."

Stiles smiled back and released his daughter. "I should probably go."

"But daddy, my hair!" Claudia whined.

"Maybe if you'd stayed still I would've had time to do it." Stiles bent to kiss her and then grabbed his jacket. "You two have a good day, okay?"

Derek smiled. "We'll try," he said, moving to Claudia's side. "Here, want me to do your hair, honey?"

Claudia smiled sweetly and settled back in her seat, assuming the guise of a statue. Stiles rolled his eyes; of course she'd be prepared to hold still for Derek. A glance at his watch told him that he wasn't quite late for work, but he had one more thing to do. "Derek, I'm going to be bringing someone back with me tonight."

Derek glanced up from where he'd settled in behind Claudia, already gathering her hair for a french braid. "Who?"

"My friend Scott," Stiles answered. "He'll be coming to get Claudia a couple times next week when me and my dad are working nights, so I figured I'd best introduce you."

Derek nodded. "Okay." He appreciated Stiles giving him a heads-up. "Usual time?"

"Yeah." Stiles smiled. "You're welcome to stay for a drink with us."

Derek offered Stiles a smile. "Thanks, but I'll probably just head home after introductions."

Stiles tried not to show his disappointment. "That's okay," he said sincerely. "I'll see you later?"

Derek nodded with a smile before turning back to Claudia's hair. "Yeah; say bye to your dad, sweet pea."

Claudia raised a hand, but didn't dare to interrupt Derek's work by turning her head again. "Love you, daddy."

"Love you too, baby." Stiles left the house before Derek realised how pink he was. _Sweet pea_.

 

************

Derek settled Claudia into bed-- it took a little longer than usual; Claudia was pouting about not getting to see her Uncle Scott, but Derek managed to convince her that he'd tell Scott to come up and give her a good-night kiss before he left. That was enough to mollify her, and she went to bed relatively easily after that. Derek went back downstairs to the kitchen, washing his hands and then absently beginning to sort out the cutlery drawer; whoever emptied the dishwasher had no sense of organization. About fifteen minutes later, he heard the door open and headed out to the hallway.

Stiles grinned when he saw Derek, and gestured to Scott, who was still hanging his coat up. "Hey, Derek! This is Scott. Scotty, Derek."

Scott turned and offered Derek a smile of his own, holding out a hand.

Derek offered Scott a quick smile, shaking his hand quickly. "It's nice to meet you. Claudia almost didn't go to sleep because she knew you were coming." That, and the fact that Stiles trusted Scott with Claudia, made Derek a little more at ease with Scott than he normally was with strangers.

Scott's smile was a little smug. "I'll go up and say goodnight in a minute," he promised. "Stiles says you're doing a great job with her."

"Oh, he is," Stiles gushed. "She even sits still for him when he does her hair!"

Derek shrugged. "Maybe it's because I take the time to work through the knots," he said with a teasing smile. "Instead of attempting to use brute force."

Stiles pretended to splutter affrontedly, and Scott looked kind of uncomfortable. "Will you be staying to have a drink with us?" he asked pointedly over Stiles' laughter.

Derek shook his head. "No, thanks. I'm just going to head home."

Stiles saw the tension in Scott's jaw, and was quick to defend Derek. "After chasing Claud around all day, I bet you can't wait to put your feet up, huh?" He sounded painfully awkward even to his own ears, but Scott didn't see fit to throw him a bone.

"Is this your first job in childcare?" he asked. "Maybe you should have picked a younger kid. Less energetic."

Derek tensed. "I have a lot of younger relatives," he said stiffly. "This is the first time I've been _paid_ to look after a child, but not the first time I've done it. Excuse me." With that, Derek grabbed his jacket and slipped past the other two men and out the door.

Stiles waited until the door slammed and then turned on Scott, fury blazing in his eyes. "Dude, what the _hell_ was that?!"

Scott didn't deign to answer. "He was the best you could find?" he asked blithely.

"He _is_ the best," Stiles snapped. " _Period_. He's great with Claudia!"

"You said yourself that he's overwhelmed by her."

"That was a joke!"

"And with what you told me about his past--"

"Don't you _dare_."

"I just don't trust him!"

"Well you don't have to! She's my daughter, do you think I'd give her to someone she wasn't safe with?"

"Maybe if you were too desperate to think it through!"

" _Scott_!"

"Daddy?"

Both men froze, and turned as one to look up the stairs at a frightened-looking Claudia, her hair tousled and her eyes half-closed.

"Are you fighting with Uncle Scott?"

"No, baby," Stiles answered, his voice strained. "Uncle Scott was just leaving."

As sleepy as she was, Claudia wasn't to be put off that easy. "But Daddy, I _heard_ you--"

Scott cleared his throat. "How about I come up and read you a story so you can get back to sleep?"

Stiles would be bitter if he wasn't so grateful when Claudia nodded her agreement and wandered back across the landing to her room. Scott climbed the stairs in silence.

Silence that he broke when he came back downstairs ten minutes later. Stiles was in the living room, still berating himself for fighting with Scott in the hall where his daughter could hear. "She's out like a light," Scott said quietly. "Listen--"

"Scotty," Stiles interrupted. He sounded as tired as he felt. "I think you should go."

Scott looked pained, but after a moment's hesitation he turned and left without another word.

 

************

Derek didn't get much sleep that night; frustrated and upset, he worked most of his anger out on a spare ball of yarn, working and unworking several rows of triple crochet stitches until he felt more calm. He'd been hoping that Scott might be like the sheriff-- maybe not exactly _friendly_ , but at least willing to give Derek a chance.

_No,_ he thought bitterly. That wasn't even why he was so upset-- he was upset because Scott apparently didn't trust him with Claudia. Despite Derek having watched her for several weeks, with only minor scrapes and bruises(Claudia had most definitely inherited her father's energy), Scott didn't seem to think that Derek was capable. Stiles had told Derek that Scott was his best friend, as good as his brother, which meant that he had to have told Scott about Derek's PTSD. Stiles trusted him with Claudia, so why couldn't Scott? If either of the two should be distrustful, it should be Stiles-- he was, after all, Claudia's father.

Eventually, Derek gave up on trying to understand what had transpired, and focused on the needle and yarn in his hands; he fell asleep on the couch like that, which led to him not getting a very restful night's sleep.

The next morning, Derek showed up with a thermos of coffee and a tired smile for Stiles. "Hello. Is Claudia up yet?"

Stiles nodded. "Playing in her room," he answered quietly. Claudia was under strict instructions to stay out of their way while he and Derek talked about 'grown up stuff', so Stiles supposed he'd better get talking. "I want to apologise for the way Scott spoke to you last night. It was rude and he had no right to say those things."

Derek shrugged. "I've heard worse," he said neutrally; it was true. His uncle Peter had said much worse things both to Derek's face and behind his back.

Stiles winced. "I just hope you know that his... concerns? We'll go with concerns, are his own. _I_ know you're more than capable of looking after Claudia, and I know she's safe with you."

Derek nodded. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I appreciate it."

Stiles couldn't tell if that was true or not; if Derek actually cared what Stiles thought of him. He hoped so, because he cared what Derek thought of Stiles. "I pulled some strings," he added after a moment. "I'll be able to get back on time all next week, so Scott won't be around."

Derek glanced away, uncomfortable. "You didn't have to do that," he muttered.

"I know," Stiles assured him. "It was for me as well as you. Claudia saw us fighting last night, and I don't want that to happen again."

"She saw?" Derek asked, looking up so suddenly he thought he heard his neck crack. "Is she okay?"

Stiles' heart did not skip a beat at this blatant show of concern, but it did speed up for a moment. Scott had no idea what he was talking about; of course Derek could be trusted. "She's fine," he promised, smiling. "She was pretty tired and we stopped as soon as we saw her; I don't even think she really remembers."

Derek nodded. "Okay, that's-- that's good. I'm glad she's all right."

"And that's why I know Scott's wrong," Stiles said, pleased. "I gotta go, but I'd like it if you'd stay for that drink tonight, let me say sorry properly?"

Derek smiled. "I'd like that-- but you don't have to apologize."

Stiles was surprised, but he grinned. "I think I can handle that."

 

************

It turned out that Stiles made the right call in pushing Derek to stay for a drink that night. Despite the fact that they'd never spoken outside of an admittedly informal employer/employee situation, they already knew that they had one thing in common: their adoration of Claudia. As the evening progressed, it became apparent that that wasn't the only thing they shared: they both had a deep passion for history and sports, although they supported opposing teams for everything except basketball; they both had a zero bullshit tolerance; they thought the _Lethal Weapon_ movies were hilarious but had mixed feelings about _Mad Max_ \- and that was just what they learned in the first hour.

One drink became two became a promise to repeat the experience the next day, and before they knew it Derek was staying for a few hours after work more often than not. Sometimes the sheriff joined them, but mostly it was just the two of them, sprawling out on the too-small sofa and bitching about each other's teams while they watched a game and pretended not to notice the way their knees kept brushing together.

By the time a month had passed Stiles considered Derek a good friend, and it was a testament to this that he noticed something was on Derek's mind almost as soon as he got home. He was patient, gave Derek a good hour to sit on it while he went to say goodnight to Claudia and pottered around the kitchen reheating his portion of the dinner Derek had cooked - because he cooked for all of them now, had even adapted the meals to accommodate the strict diet Stiles had his father on - but when his plate was empty and Derek still had yet to speak, Stiles could no longer stay quiet. "Okay," he sighed, setting his plate down on the coffee table. "Spit it out, whatever it is."

Derek startled, then chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just-- does your family have a history of ADD or ADHD?"

Stiles froze. "You could say that," he said slowly, warily. "Why?"

"I think Claudia might have it," Derek explained. "She's incredibly smart, but I've noticed that she switches focus a lot, and she's always moving, even when she's sitting down."

Stiles groaned and dropped his head into his hands. "God _damn_ it!" he cursed. "All the great genes her mother gave her and I couldn't even do _this_ right."

"Hey," Derek said, surprised. "We don't know for sure, and even if it does to turn out to be that, we caught it when she's you enough that meds should help a lot. What's wrong?"

"It's my fault," Stiles explained resignedly, sitting up. "I was diagnosed when I was young, but the medication really fucked me up. I'm fine now, I take my meds and I get on with it, but it was really hard when I was a kid."

"Oh." Derek paused for a moment, thinking. "Well, everyone reacts to medications differently, Stiles. She might not have the same reaction you did."

Stiles met Derek's gaze, his eyes soft and scared. "I just don't want to put her through what I went through."

Derek reached over to squeeze Stiles's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. "We'll do everything we can to prevent that, okay?"

Stiles sighed, some of the tension seeping from his body at the touch. "Thank you."

 

************

They set up an appointment for Claudia to meet with a doctor to be diagnosed, one way or another. Unfortunately, the sheriff couldn't make the appointment, stuck at work trying to track down a group of vandals who'd been messing with the schools, and so Stiles asked Derek to accompany him, offering to pay for his time; Derek refused. It wasn't one of his usual days, but there was no way he was about to make Stiles pay for Derek accompanying him and Claudia to the doctor's office.

The doctor ran Claudia through some tests, testing her focus and short-term memory, as well as long-term memory; at the end of the visit, he said that he couldn't say anything for sure, but it was looking very likely that Claudia did, indeed, have some form of ADHD. However, the doctor was optimistic; from what the tests indicated, he claimed that she would not need the amount of medication that Stiles had needed when he was younger, that she did not have it as severely as Stiles had. When they were leaving the office, Claudia happily sucking on a lollipop, Derek smiled at Stiles. "Sounds like good news-- if she can get by on minimal medication, then it won't affect her as badly."

Stiles gave Derek a relieved smile. Thankfully Claudia had been oblivious to most of it, but he'd been on edge ever since Derek had first brought it up. "I really hope so," he said with feeling. "Thank you so much for coming today."

"No problem," Derek said sincerely.

But Stiles wasn't done. "No, really, you've been amazing," he insisted. "She might not even have been diagnosed if it wasn't for you. I think I knew, but I didn't want to face it." This last part was said quietly, like Stiles wasn't sure he wanted to admit to it.

Derek's expression softened. "There's no shame in that," he said quietly. "Even without me, you would have figured it out, Stiles. It's fine to be scared, to not want your child to go through what you did."

Stiles sighed. "I know," he said. "I just--"

"Daddy?"

Stiles looked down at his little girl. She was holding Derek's hand, but he didn't mind. "Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Is Derek staying for dinner?"

Stiles flushed. "Oh, sweetie, I'm sure Derek has other plans. It's his night off and--"

" _And_ ," Claudia cut him off with a wickedly intelligent look in her eyes that she had definitely inherited from her mother. "He has to cook for us all the time. Maybe you should cook for him for a change."

Damn, but she put forward a good argument. At a loss for what else to do, Stiles turned to Derek. "Do you want to?" he asked helplessly.

Derek pretended to think it over. "Well... I suppose I could stay," he said after a moment, grinning.

Claudia squealed, delighted, and Stiles had to admit that he knew how she felt.

 

************

While Derek and Stiles grew closer, it seemed that Scott was determined to make his distrust and disliking of Derek known more and more frequently. Derek never said anything in return, but he could see how it was affecting Stiles. Derek had offered to leave, to let Stiles find another babysitter, but Stiles had refused, insisting that Scott would come around eventually. Derek wasn't so sure, but he made certain, for Stiles's sake and Claudia's, to keep their interactions to a minimum on the nights that Scott came to watch Claudia when Stiles was late.

It was on one of these such nights that Scott screwed up in the worst way possible. He'd been scheduled to relieve Derek for a week - Stiles had a meeting a few towns away and was anticipating being stuck in traffic on the way home - so he'd had plenty of warning, and yet it still managed to slip his mind. He was elbow-deep in cat litter when his boss came in to say there was a phone call for him.

Scott hurried from the room, babbling apologies, and grabbed the receiver at the front desk. "Hello?"

"Scott, why are you still at work?"

"Because I work here." Scott pinched the bridge of his nose with his spare hand. His wife was a couple months pregnant with their second child and apparently the hormones were making themselves known early this time. "Why are you calling me at work?"

"I tried your cell and didn't get an answer."

Scott rolles his eyes. "Because I'm at work," he explained patiently.

"But you should be at Stiles'!"

"What?" Scott asked. "No I shouldn't. That's Thursday."

"Today _is_ Thursday!"

" _What_?!" The bottom dropped out of Scott's stomach. Allison was right; today was Thursday and he was meant to have picked Claudia up an hour ago. He'd been trying to make Stiles see how incompetent Derek was for months now and he'd just proven the same of himself. "Goddamn it. Allison, I can't leave," he whined, anguished. "My boss won't let me, I'm right in the middle of something! Could you go? Please, baby?"

There was a pause. "Are you sure?" Allison asked slowly. "After everything you've told me about Derek's pa--"

"I don't think he's the best person to be looking after Claudia but he's not dangerous, Allison," Scott insisted. "It'll be fine. _Please_ go pick her up for me."

"...Okay," Allison said at last. She sounded reluctant, but that was probably only because she didn't want to take their son out so late. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure," Scott promised. "I'll be there as soon as I get off, okay? I love you." He hung up before she could return the sentiment, and went to continue apologising to his boss.

Derek had been a bit concerned; Claudia was asleep upstairs, but Scott hadn't arrived yet. He was over an hour late, which had never happened before. Derek had simply settled on the couch with a magazine, keeping one ear out for any noise from Claudia's room. He didn't have Scott's number, and so had no way of getting in touch with him, but just when he was starting to debate calling Stiles, there came a knock at the door.

He got up and answered it, speaking before he had the door fully open. "There you are. I was starting to get--" Derek froze, staring in horror at the woman standing in front of him. It couldn't-- Jennifer was in prison. In New York. His vision started to swim, and Derek reflexively slammed the door shut before staggering backwards, tripping over a lone shoe and crashing down on his ass. He scrambled backwards until he was pressed against a wall, his mind a complete and utter blank.

 

************

Scott was already on the road, speeding towards Stiles' house while he listened to the tinny dial tone coming over his hands-free system. He'd realised his mistake minutes after hanging up on Allison, but had been unable to get her back on the phone; his boss was left cursing when he'd sprinted from the building.

"Hello?"

"Stiles!"

"Scott, what is it? Is it Claudia?"

"No! Well, yes, but no. It's Derek!"

"Derek? What's wrong with Derek?"

"I forgot to go get Claudia," Scott confessed, and Stiles spoke right over his next words.

"Well that's okay," he said, sounding relieved. "Derek won't have left her and I'm almost home. Don't worry about it."

"No no _no_ , you don't understand!" Scott was shouting now. "I forgot so I asked Allison to go instead!"

"You did _what_?" Stiles asked, his voice shrill.

"I'm on my way over there now," Scott said hastily. "Stiles, I just didn't think, I'm sorry!"

"Shut the fuck up and get there," Stiles snapped, and then the line went dead. Scott did exactly as he was told.

Allison was in tears by the time he got there, standing beside their car with their son asleep inside. "Scott, I don't know what happened, I didn't even get a word out and now he won't answer the door!" she cried, clearly devastated.

"It's okay, it's okay, just stay here," Scott told her as he rushed by and began to hammer on the door. "Derek! Derek, it's Scott, I need you to let me in, okay? The woman was my wife Allison and she's safe, okay, she's gone! Open the door!"

" _Scott_!" Scott whirled at the sound of Allison's voice. "Your keys," she said quietly, and he could have brained himself.

His keys were still in his hand and he fumbled for the right one before jamming it into the lock and getting the door open. Derek was cowering at the bottom of the stairs, his back to the wall and his eyes screwed shut. "Derek," Scott said again, no longer shouting but still speaking firmly. "Derek, snap out of it!"

And then Stiles was there. "Get _out_ of my way," he snarled, shoving Scott bodily from the hall as he pushed past and crouched down in front of Derek. He was flushed and breathing hard, but when he spoke again his voice was soft and gentle, coaxing where Scott had been trying to force. "Derek? It's me, Stiles. Come back to me, buddy."

Derek was mumbling under his breath, reciting multiplication tables, when he started becoming aware of someone speaking to him-- not like the other person had, not shouting, but coaxing. The voice sounded familiar, and Derek slowly shifted his focus from his recitation to the voice. It was Stiles, he realized after a few long moments, and after another moment, he relaxed slightly, opening his eyes but not relaxing his tense posture. "S-Stiles?" his voice sounded hoarse, even to his own ears.

"That's right." The tone of Stiles' voice didn't change, but now he ventured a hopeful smile. "You're safe, I promise."

Derek swallowed, embarrassment starting to creep in as he slowly came back to himself. "Who--?"

"Scott's wife," Stiles said gently. "Allison. She didn't come here to hurt you."

"She couldn't hurt a fly," Scott offered earnestly.

Stiles didn't look away from Derek. "Get out, Scott."

Scott almost tripped over himself in his haste to leave.

Derek didn't look away from Stiles. "Oh. Claudia?"

"In bed, asleep," Stiles said with confidence, although of course he hadn't checked. "She's fine."

"Good," Derek said, feeling his muscles slowly starting to unclench. "That's-- that's good."

"It is," Stiles agreed. "What about you? How are you doing?"

Derek shrugged one shoulder, still breathing a bit harder than normal. "Better," he said quietly, gazing at his knees. "I'm sorry."

Stiles shook his head. "Hey," he murmured. "You don't have anything to be sorry for." He reached out to touch Derek, but hesitated at the last second. "Can I?" he breathed.

Derek didn't hesitate in nodding; Stiles had earned himself, over the past weeks, the spot of the person Derek trusted most. "Yes."

Stiles gripped Derek's arm, firm in what he hoped was a reassuring way rather than a scary one. "This wasn't your fault," he said quietly. "I'm gonna have Scott's balls for this one, I promise you."

Derek shook his head, glancing up and over Stiles's shoulder before meeting Stiles's gaze. "I don't think he would've done that on purpose," he said quietly.

"He didn't," Stiles agreed. "But he should have known better." He followed Derek's gaze and saw that Scott was still hovering outside, but he had his back to them at least. "I'm gonna tell them to leave. My dad should get off work soon, so if you can wait I'll drive you home."

Derek nodded. "That-- that'd be nice. Thanks." He really didn't feel recovered enough to be operating any vehicle.

Stiles helped Derek to his feet and into the living room before heading back outside. When he approached them, Allison's eyes were shining with tears and Scott didn't look like he was far from crying himself. "You should go home," he said tiredly.

Scott winced. "Stiles, I swear to God--"

"I know," Stiles interrupted. "I know. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

Scott looked like he wanted to argue, but Allison put a hand on his arm and he seemed to reconsider. "Okay," he sighed. "Tell Derek I'm sorry."

Stiles nodded and turned back toward the house.

 

************

Derek didn't speak much at all, beyond giving directions to his apartment, for the rest of that night. The next, however, found him telling Stiles why he'd been so affected by Allison. "It wasn't just that she was a strange woman," he explained. "I-- Do you know what happened?"

"Some of it," Stiles confessed. "My dad knows more than me. You don't have to tell me, though."

Derek shook his head. "You deserve to know," he insisted quietly. "Scott's wife-- Allison-- she looked like the second woman. Like... Like Jennifer."

Stiles' lips parted in surprise. There wasn't a whole lot he could say to that. "What happened to her?" he asked quietly.

"She's in prison, in New York," Derek answered. "For life."

"Good." Stiles was surprised by how sharply he said this, and made an effort to dial it down a little. "I get why you freaked, though. She should never be able to come back, but that doesn't mean there isn't a chance she will, even if that chance is miniscule."

Derek nodded. "Exactly. Thank you for understanding."

Stiles considered telling Derek what he knew, that Allison not only looked like one of his abusers but was related to the other, but decided against it. Derek had been through enough just now. Instead, he placed a hand on his arm as he had the night before and gave a comforting squeeze. "Thank you for helping me to," he said softly.

Derek looked up, meeting Stiles's gaze and smiling. He lifted a hand to rest it over Stiles's, squeezing lightly.

 

************

It took Scott another week to show his face again, and when he did so it wasn't exactly of his own free will. Stiles had given him a piece of his mind the day after the incident, over the phone while Scott cowered in his boss' office, but it was Allison who succeeded in bullying him into speaking to Derek directly. He turned up without warning one afternoon, which he realised as he got out of the car might have been a big mistake, but even if it wasn't too late to turn back now he might never work up the nerve to come back again if he did. So he screwed up his courage, walked up to the door, and knocked.

Derek, who'd been letting Claudia draw on his arm while he browsed the telvision guide, foot propped up with an ice bag (his neighbor's dog had an unfortunate habit of escaping and laying in front of random doors; Derek had been today's victim), glanced up when he heard the knock. "Baby, can you see who it is?"

Claudia obediently trotted from the room, only to come back moments later with a big smile on her face. "It's Uncle Scott!" she announced. "He says he won't come in unless you say it's okay."

Well, Derek had to give him credit for thinking things through this time. "Thank you, Dee; tell him he can come in, please."

Claudia scampered off, and then Scott was inside, approaching Derek warily. Claudia was hanging off him, chattering excitedly, but Scott shook her off as quickly as he could. "Honey, I need to talk to Derek for a moment, okay?"

It hadn't escaped Claudia's notice that everybody seemed to be having important 'grown up' conversations with Derek that didn't involved her, but she left the room with little fuss after extracting a promise to play with her afterwards from Scott.

Once they were alone, Scott's nervousness was all the more apparent. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and looked anywhere that wasn't at Derek, but he made himself speak. "I know I've been an asshole," he began. "I wasn't sure how I felt about you looking after Claudia, and I didn't try to hide it. But I want you to know that I did not send Allison here that night on purpose. I'm so sorry."

Derek shrugged one shoulder. "I figured," he said, keeping his tone civil. "Didn't think you were that much of an asshole.”

Scott turned vaguely pink. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you as well," he offered uncomfortably. "Stiles is right. You're really good for them."

Derek didn't quite know how to respond to that. In the end, he settled upon saying, "All I want is them safe and happy."

Scott smiled. "I know that now," he promised. "So can we start over?"

Derek nodded slowly. "Okay."

Scott spent a good hour playing with Claudia after that, putting on silly voices for her dolls and drinking pretend tea out of plastic cups and even attempting to braid her hair at one point, until she shook him off to find Derek because he was better at it. After watching the two of them interact, Scott had to admit that he'd made the right call in mending the bridges between him and Derek. He may have had a rough time of it, but Derek was a good person and it was obvious that he loved Claudia.

Scott took his leave after Claudia managed to fall asleep during the first five minutes of _Frozen_ , and he was pleasantly surprised when Derek offered to walk, or rather limp, him to the door. "I'd stay longer, but we're having dinner at my father-in-law's tonight," he explained with a laugh. "We've been together since high school but Mr Argent still intimidates the shit out of me."

Derek nearly tripped over nothing. " _Argent_?" he demanded, voice strangled.

"Yeah," Scott answered, utterly oblivious to Derek's distress. "Allison's dad sells weapons to the police department. It's really freaky, going to a house full of guns. Me and Chris get on better now but I still think he'd love to shoot me sometimes."

Derek had stopped; he was behind Scott now, gripping the nearest table edge and carefully counting. After a second, he asked, "Does... he have a-- a sister?"

"He did," Scott said thoughtfully. "She died a few years ago, and they don't talk about her much. Her name was Kate." He turned to look at Derek then. "Why?"

Derek took in a deep breath, held it for a count of four, and slowly released it. "She was-- the first."

Scott's jaw dropped. He'd done it again. " _Fuck_!" he cursed. "Oh my God, Derek, I'm so sorry, I had no idea! Are you okay? Should I-- should I call Stiles?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm okay," he said, even though he sounded a bit uncertain. "Just-- unexpected."

"Do you want me to stay?" Scott asked.

Derek shook his head. "No, you don't have to-- Claudia's asleep, and I'm... Well, I’ve been better, but I'll be okay. Stiles will be home soon, anyway."

"Are you _sure_ you'll be okay?" Scott pressed.

Derek nodded. "I'm sure; go on, don't be late. Would hate to be the reason you get shot." He offered Scott a weak smile, still leaning against the table.

Scott wasn't convinced, but Derek was right; he couldn't really afford to be late. "Call Stiles if you need him, okay?"

Derek nodded again. "I will," he promised.

 

************

Stiles got home a little earlier than normal, and was surprised to find the house relatively quiet. All he could hear was the soft hum of something unintelligible on the television, so he hung up his jacket and went in search of life. He found it in the form of Derek sitting on the couch, burrowed into one corner with the biggest, fluffiest blanket he could find wrapped around himself like a cocoon. "'Lo," he mumbled sleepily; he'd been right on the edge of drifting off when Stiles wandered in. "Time?"

"Almost seven thirty," Stiles supplied softly. His adoring smile was mostly hidden by the gloom of the room. "You comfy under there?"

Derek nodded, stretching and shifting a bit. "Scott dropped by."

Stiles wasn't sure how to react to this news. "Oh," he said after a beat. "Do I need to kick his ass again?"

Derek shook his head. "He came by to apologize for how he's been acting." He hesitated, then added, "And... he mentioned that Allison was an Argent."

Stiles grimaced. "Way to be tactful, Scott," he sighed. "Are you okay?"

"Not as good as I could be," Derek admitted. "I just-- It was another shock."

"I bet," Stiles said softly. He took a seat beside Derek and gave his knee a squeeze. "I don't think Scott knew, though. He doesn't know much about Allison's family besides what he can see."

Derek's lips quirked in a small smile. "He does seem a bit... not exactly narrow-minded, just... I don't know what word I'm looking for," he admitted with a small laugh. "He seems nice enough, unless he gets something in his mind."

"He seems to be getting over that, though," Stiles reasoned. "What he thought he saw in you just isn't there."

Derek snorted. "Yeah, a bit-- he freaked out when he realized who Allison and her dad were related to."

"I can imagine," Stiles agreed. "I was pretty shocked when I found out."

Derek glanced up at Stiles. "You knew?"

Stiles felt the blood drain from his face. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I knew."

Derek glanced down at the blanket covering his lap, uncertain as to how he felt about that. "Why didn't you say anything?" he asked quietly after a moment.

"To protect you," Stiles answered honestly. "When Allison turned up out of the blue you were so scared. You told me that she looks like Jennifer, and I figured the last thing you needed was to know she was related to Kate as well."

Well, Derek couldn't exactly fault Stiles for that. "I.. see," he said slowly. He refused to acknowledge the little bit of warmth that grew just a little bit more at the thought that Stiles cared that much about him.

"Maybe I shouldn't have kept it from you," Stiles continued, looking anguished. "I just wanted to do what was best for you. I'm sorry."

Derek wrestled one arm out from under the blanket, reaching out to lay his hand on Stiles's shoulder. "Hey, I get why you did it. It's okay."

Stiles' gaze dropped to Derek's hand and then moved back up to his face. "You're not mad?" he asked.

Derek shook his head. "You've done a lot for me, Stiles; I'm not mad at you."

Stiles let out a breath of relief and gave Derek a big smile. "I just want to say that Allison is completely harmless," he blurted out. "Even more harmless than Scott. You don't ever have to see her again if you don't want to but if you do, she's a great person, I swear."

Derek worried his lower lip in thought, looking to the side. When he looked back to Stiles, he spoke carefully. "I... don't know if I want to see her again," he admitted; it was an understatement to say that it had been a huge shock to see a woman who resembled Jennifer as much as Allison did. "But... Maybe." That was all he was willing-- and able-- to promise for the moment.

Stiles nodded, and squeezed Derek's knee again. "Whatever you decide, I'll support you," he promised softly.

Derek offered Stiles a grateful smile. "Thank you."

They spent most of the night like that, close enough that they were always touching and talking in soft tones about things both personal and not. It had been a long time since Stiles had felt so close to another person, emotionally as well as physically, and it was a seductive feeling. He wanted to be nearer.

Not even the sheriff coming home some time around ten managed to break the spell, although it did make Derek realise he needed to get home. Stiles walked him to do the door while his dad went upstairs, only noticing how little space was between them when Derek turned to say goodbye and their noses almost brushed. Neither of them took a step back, though. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?" Stiles asked, oddly breathless.

Derek nodded, his gaze flicking down to Stiles's mouth. "Definitely," he said, looking back up.

Stiles noticed, and found himself swaying impossibly closer. "I'm glad you stayed tonight," he murmured. "I think..." Their mouths touched, and then Stiles was bringing his hands up to frame Derek's face as they kissed in earnest.

Derek froze, but then relaxed into the kiss, tilting his head so that their mouths slotted together perfectly. It was only when they pulled apart that Derek's brain came back online, and he realized what had happened. _Shit._ "I uh, I should go," he mumbled, not looking Stiles in the eye as he took a step back, fumbling with the doorknob before all but falling through the door.

Stiles wanted desperately to stop him, but found that he couldn't move. He was left with a sharp ache in his chest that only got sharper when the door slammed behind Derek, breathing hard and blinking against the sting in his eyes. When at last he found the strength to turn away from the door, his father was right there, watching him with a sympathetic gaze. It made Stiles feel like a child all over again, except that now he couldn't ask his dad to hug the hurt away. "Don't," he rasped instead, and went upstairs to his daughter.

 

************

Derek managed to arrive the next morning just this side of 'late'-- in other words, Stiles had to rush out the door without the chance to say anything about what happened the night before. Derek knew it was cowardly, but he needed more time to brace himself for the inevitable 'it was nice but you're really just a friend' cover up.

He couldn't run forever though; the brush-off came later that night, although not in the form he expected. Stiles had spent all day agonising over what had happened, until at last he'd reached a conclusion. Derek was going to let him down easy anyway, so he might as well save them both the trouble.

He went straight upstairs when he got home to say goodnight to Claudia and screw up his courage, and then he was making his way into the living room. There was no danger of finding Derek asleep again; Derek was probably just as on edge as he was. "Hey," was how Stiles began, because how else to start a conversation? "I'm really sorry about yesterday; I don't know what I was thinking."

Derek had been cleaning up Claudia's Legos, meticulously counting each piece in an attempt to focus on something _other_ than this impending conversation. When Stiles spoke, however, he sucked in a deep breath, then answered without looking at Stiles. "It's fine," he lied. "I understand." And he did, really-- Stiles was straight, and even if he wasn't... Who would seriously _want_ someone like Derek, someone this broken?

"So we can go back to normal?" Stiles asked weakly. "Pretend it never happened?" It was the last thing he wanted, but he needed to think about Claudia. She would be devastated if he invited Derek into their lives, only to have Derek leave when he realised that the two of them only brought disruption when he most needed consistency.

"Yeah," Derek agreed without looking up; he could hear how relieved Stiles was in the tone of his voice. He didn't need to see it, too.

"Great." Stiles needed to get out of there. "I'm gonna go heat up some dinner. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks," Derek said, finishing with the Legos. "I should head home."

Stunned into silence, Stiles didn't find his voice until Derek was almost at the door. "Derek!"

Derek hesitated, his hand on the doorknob. "Yeah?" he asked, a bit apprehensive as he half-turned to look at Stiles.

"This isn't normal," Stiles protested, fully aware that he sounded desperate.

Derek swallowed, glancing away. "I know; I'm sorry. I just-- I don't think I can do that right now. It'll still be... awkward. I just need some time to reset."

Stiles let out a shaky breath, and nodded. He guessed he could understand that. "Okay," he said quietly. "Okay. Take all the time you need."

Derek offered Stiles a small, apologetic smile before leaving-- _not_ fleeing, no matter how much it felt like he was.

 

************

The next morning was just as bad, if not worse, as the first. Stiles was so distracted in work that his father sent him home an hour early, and he used the extra time as an opportunity to clear his head. He went to see Scott. Scott's boss gave him an unimpressed look when Stiles showed up, but didn't say anything, just let him in. "Hey man, what's up?" Scott asked, a bit breathless as he wrestled with an uncooperative puppy who was supposed to be getting his vaccinations.

"He's adorable," Stiles said instead of giving an answer, smiling sweetly at the puppy. He couldn't stall for long though; he was on the clock. "Derek and I have a... thing."

Scott looked up, grabbing the puppy before he could step off the edge of the exam table. "Thing?"

"We kissed," Stiles said miserably. "And now everything's super awkward."

Scott blinked. "You... I'm sorry, did I hear that right?" He secured the puppy, grabbing the syringe and needle and delivering the shot quickly and efficiently. "Ha! Got ya, ya little bastard."

"You heard!" Stiles snapped. "We kissed, I kissed him. And then he ran away, so I told him that I didn't know what I was thinking and that we could pretend it never happened, and he agreed, but now he won't even look at me."

Scott frowned, soothing the puppy with some rubs and a treat while he thought. "Did-- was he, yknow, assaulted? Sexually, I mean. I'm no expert, but that kind of thing must really screw someone up. Did he kiss back?"

Tears immediately sprang to Stiles' eyes. "He kissed me back," he told Scott shakily. "Or, I think he did? But we stopped when he wanted to, I didn't force-- I would _never_."

"No, dude, I know," Scott said hastily. "What I meant was, I'm willing to bet that he's probably got a bunch of self-esteem issues and intimacy stuff. So, I don't know, maybe he thinks he's not good enough for you?"

"That's bullshit!" Stiles spluttered. "He's _perfect_ , I--" He stopped when he realised what he was saying, and tried again. "You're right, of course you're right, he might well think that - but I don't think I'm the one to help him through that. I don't think he wants _me_."

Scott's brow furrowed. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, why would he?" Stiles asked. "Like you said, he's been through these massive traumas that have done some deep, psychological damage. He relies on routine really heavily, he likes numbers and order and consistency. Being anywhere near me long-term would shatter that; I'm a hyperactive ball of mess. And with Claudia just being diagnosed, too? Besides," he added, looking away. "He wouldn't be able to avoid Allison if we were together. He knows she's a part of our lives. He shouldn't have to put himself through that."

"He's already been babysitting for you for months," Scott pointed out. " _And_ he still stuck around, even after Allison triggered him and he learned about her family."

"Because I'm his boss," Stiles insisted. "He gets to go home every night, he gets a break every weekend. And he knows that if it ever gets too much he can just walk away."

"Wouldn't you say that he's already passed 'too much'?" Scott challenged. "Look, I haven't been his biggest fan, but even _I_ have to admit that I can see how much he absolutely adores Claudia. I don't think anyone else would have stuck around after what I put him through, even inadvertently."

Stiles sighed. "I know he loves Claudia," he agreed. "That isn't what's in question. I didn't kiss him because he loves Claudia, but that is why I backed off. If he leaves because of me, then both Derek and Claud lose out."

Yeah, that could be a problem. "So you just said, what, 'Sorry for kissing you, won't do it again because we're friends?'"

"Pretty much," Stiles said, shrugging helplessly. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You," Scott said, pointing at Stiles with the syringe he was cleaning, "are an idiot. Not that I'm much better, but still. Does Derek even know you're into guys? I mean, he knows you're into girls-- you and Lydia _did_ have a daughter, after all-- but have you ever given him a clue that maybe you're into guys, too? That might be a reason why he's so awkward."

"Hello! _I_ kissed _him_!" Stiles cried, indignant. "If he doesn't know I'm into guys after that then maybe _he's_ the stupid one."

"So you're both idiots; you're perfect for each other," Scott retorted. "I'm serious, bro. Just because you initiated the kiss doesn't mean much, not when you turned around and pretty much went 'just kidding!'"

Stiles made a frustrated sound and fisted his hands in his hair. "So what do I _do_?"Scott shrugged. "Don't look at me; I'm still not even sure why Allison loves me as much as she does. But if you really, _really_ like him-- I'll help. As much as I can, okay?"

Stiles deflated with a heavy sigh. "Thanks, man," he said quietly.

Scott finished with the puppy, scooping it up into his arms to take back out to her owner. He gave Stiles a quick hug as he passed him. "We'll figure something out, dude."

Stiles hoped he was right.

 

************

Derek and Claudia were working on a puzzle when there was a knock on the door. "See if you can find that last corner piece," Derek encouraged Claudia, leveraging himself to his feet. He hesitated for just a second before opening the door a bit; he blinked in surprise at what he saw.

There was a stunning redhead standing on the front step; she carried herself with a confident air, and Derek could feel himself tensing. Thus, his words came out a bit sharper than he'd intended. "Who are you?"

The woman's eyebrows narrowed. "I'm Lydia Martin," she announced crisply. "Who are _you_?"

That name wasn't familiar. "Derek Hale," he said shortly. "Stiles didn't mention anyone with that name."

"That's not my problem," Lydia told him. "I'm here to see my daughter."

Derek stiffened. "Not unless Stiles says it's okay," he said sharply-- no way was he letting Claudia get put into danger. Not caring that it was rude, Derek shut the door in Lydia's face, pulling out his phone and dialing Stiles.

Stiles was a little floored when he got back from the bathroom and someone handed him the phone, saying that his babysitter needed to talk to him. Derek hadn't really been speaking to him at all of late, let alone calling him at work. "Derek?" he asked as soon as he put the receiver to his ear. "What's wrong?"

"There's a woman here," he answered. "Red hair, says her name is Lydia Martin and that she's Claudia's mother."

Stiles winced. "She's back a whole week early," he said dryly, "but that's Claudia's mom. I'm sorry, Derek, I had no idea. Do you want me to come deal with it?"

Derek hesitated, but then answered, "No. I just wanted to double-check; you never told me the name of Claudia's mother. I'll see you when you get off work."

"It just never came up," Stiles offered weakly, although it was a poor excuse. He didn't know why he'd never told Derek about Lydia. "If you need me to come home, just call back, okay? Lyds can be quite a handful."

_Lyds?_ Derek mouthed to himself, heart clenching in his chest. "Yeah, sure," he said before hanging up. He took a moment to compose himself before letting Lydia in.

Lydia stepped into the house without so much as a thank you, and made a point of looking Derek up and down. "I'm guessing you're the help?" she hazarded. "Stiles mentioned he'd found somebody but I have to say you're not quite what I was expecting."

Derek just grunted before leading the way into the living room. "Dee, we've got a visitor," he said, getting the girl's attention.

Claudia looked up from where she'd been trying to fit a piece into the centre of the puzzle, and gave a squeal of delight. "Mommy!" she cried, puzzle pieces going everywhere as she scrambled across the room and into Lydia's arms.

"Hey, angel," Lydia crooned, closing her eyes and hugging Claudia close. "I missed you."

"I missed you," Claudia returned with feeling. "Are you back for good now?"

Lydia laughed and pulled back with a smile. "For a long time," she promised. "Until after Christmas at least." Claudia's entire face lit up.

Derek couldn't help but quirk a small smile at Claudia's obvious affection for Lydia. "Oh great; another person to spoil you," he said, lightly teasing.

Lydia shot Derek a sharp look. "You can go home early if you want to," she said pointedly. "I can stay here until Stiles gets off work."

"No thanks," Derek said, just shy of glaring; he didn't know this woman, didn't trust her-- and while Stiles probably did, Derek really didn't feel comfortable leaving Claudia alone with her.

Lydia rolled her eyes, but turned back to Claudia in favour of commenting further.

 

************

Derek did not like Lydia that much-- she wasn't _bad_ , per se; but she definitely rubbed Derek the wrong way. As a result, he spoke little around her, preferring instead to focus on Claudia and almost rudely ignoring her mother. About two weeks after Lydia first showed up, Derek had retreated to the park with Claudia; there, he almost literally ran into Paige. "Sorry," he apologized, picking up the packs of gummy snacks that had fallen out of her bag when they'd surprised each other.

"Oh no, it's fine, it's my fault, really," Paige insisted, bending to help Derek pick up her stuff. Their eyes met when Derek handed the gummies over, and she smiled suddenly. "Derek. Derek who doesn't want to talk to me."

Derek couldn't help but quirk a half-smile at that. "Yeah," he acknowledged. "Hi." Time with Claudia and Stiles had helped immensely, and he already knew from before that Paige didn't seem like the type to push. Still, Derek was wary.

"Hi," Paige returned, straightening up and stuffing her gummies back into her bag. "Do you still not want to talk, or do you want to grab a bench?"

Derek hesitated, but then nodded to a nearby bench. "Bench, if you want to."

Paige beamed. "Sounds good to me."

 

************

Derek and Paige spent the first day mostly in silence-- and so went the second and third and fourth. By the fifth, they were speaking occasionally, and as time wore on, they started to form a tentative friendship. It helped that Paige didn't push, that she seemed to understand that for some reason, Derek was uncomfortable around women.

It got to the point where Claudia spent a good ten minutes chattering at Paige whenever they met at the park, and eventually she started telling Stiles about her, too. It came to a head when Paige had helped dissuade an... overly-friendly woman from bothering Derek. Claudia had, apparently, seen that and took it the wrong way, because she announced to Stiles that night that Derek had a girlfriend.

Stiles felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Really?" he said weakly, trying to smile. "That's nice, sweetie."

"It is!" Claudia agreed eagerly. "She's super nice and _really_  pretty. Not as pretty as Mommy but really close!"

Derek came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands with a dishcloth. "Who's pretty?"

"Paige!" Claudia cried, as though it should be obvious. "Tell Daddy how pretty she is, Derek."

"She is very pretty," Derek agreed; objectively, he could recognize that. "And she's very nice, isn't she?" He, of course, didn't realize how this all sounded to Stiles.

"So nice!" Claudia's excitement only made it worse. "She always has gummies in her purse and she has a really nice little boy who plays with me while Derek and her talk!"

Stiles managed to give Derek a weak smile. "I'm glad you've found someone," he said softly.

Derek smiled. "Thanks." It was nice, having another friend. He'd missed that.

Stiles averted his gaze, feeling vulnerable and embarrassed, and cleared his throat. "I think it's someone's bedtime."

Derek wasn't sure what had just changed, but he didn't argue. "Yes; it is getting late, Dee."

Claudia sighed heavily, but knew better than to argue. "Read me a story?" she asked Derek.

"Of course, sweetheart," Derek said with a smile, finishing drying his hands. "I'll be up in a second; I just have to put this cloth away, okay?"

Stiles bent to give Claudia a hug. "I'll be up to say goodnight when Derek's finished, okay?" he murmured.

"Okay." Claudia seemed blissfully oblivious to the sudden awkwardness in the room, and went upstairs to get ready for bed without another word.

 

************

Stiles called Scott as soon as Derek left that night, and proceeded to curse him loudly and fluently for getting his hopes up. Scott seemed reluctant to admit that he'd been wrong, but he did let Stiles rant at him for an hour and a half, so Stiles wasn't going to complain too loudly. He put it out of his mind for the next week, but the matter was taken out of his hands when he had to ask Scott to relieve Derek from his duties one night.

Derek had plenty of warning and even seemed pleased to see Scott; they chatted amiably for a few minutes while Derek got ready to leave. Scott didn't let him get too far, though. "So, I hear you're seeing someone," he said casually as Derek shrugged into his jacket. "Good for you."

Derek paused. "Seeing somebody?" he echoed, frowning. "Where did you hear _that_?"

"Stiles told me," Scott answered simply. "Why, was he not supposed to?"

Okay, now Derek was really getting confused. "Why would Stiles think I was dating someone?"

Scott sighed. "Claudia told him."

"Claudia..." Suddenly it clicked. "Oh, no-- Paige is just a friend. I didn't know Claudia had said she was my _girlfriend._ "

It was Scott's turn to frown. "You wouldn't shut up about how pretty she is," he accused. "What was he supposed to think?"

"I just agreed with Claudia when she said so!" Derek protested. "I don't-- not with women."

"Not at all?" Scott asked, suddenly keen. "What about with men?"

"I... don't know," Derek fibbed; it wasn't even _men_ , per se-- just Stiles. But Scott and Stiles apparently told each other everything, and Derek didn't even know for sure if Stiles liked men. There was also Claudia to think about; even if Derek was willing to risk the friendship he'd found in Stiles, he wasn't willing to risk hurting Claudia like that if things didn't work out.

Scott saw straight through Derek, and he rolled his eyes. "Talk to Stiles," he said firmly. "For my sanity if nothing else. Just talk to him."

Derek frowned. "Why should I talk to him?"

Scott's gaze softened. "Because he deserves to know."

Derek glanced away, swallowing nervously. "Okay; I'll talk to him." _Eventually._

 

************

Derek didn't talk to Stiles, though-- instead, he talked to Paige. "I just-- he's never really shown any interest in me. I mean, we kissed, but the next day he immediately said it didn't change anything, that we were just friends," he said, frustrated.

Paige pursed her lips, thinking. "Tell me again how you reacted to the kiss."

Derek shrugged. "I kissed back," he answered, unsure of where she was going with this.

Paige rolled her eyes. "And then?" she prompted.

"And then I realized that I'd just kissed him, freaked, and ran," Derek admitted.

"And there's your answer," Paige said, sitting back. "You rejected him. What was he supposed to do, except try to save your friendship? I'd say that's pretty decent of him, actually."

" _Rejected_ him?" Derek spluttered. "I didn't-- he knows I need time to think about new things! I was going to ask him about it, then _he_ rejected _me_!"

"I know," Paige soothed him. "But look at it from his perspective. He knows you have issues with intimacy, and then he goes and scares you away by kissing you. He probably spent the whole of the next day kicking himself for putting you in such an awkward position; by saying it could be forgotten, he was just trying to make it better."

"That... does sound like the idiot." It really, really did-- but the small warmth of hope in his chest hurt as much as it helped. Why hadn't Stiles just talked to Derek-- unless he didn't really feel that way, if it had just been the circumstances.

"I'm willing to bet that your friendship means more to him than anything else," Paige went on. "So he probably wasn't willing to risk you actually rejecting him if he tried to push the romantic side of things. And remember that he thinks you have a girlfriend; it's too late to make a move now."

Derek frowned. "And if I tell him that I never did? Do you think--"

"I think," Paige said, smiling.

 

************

Derek spent the rest of the day mulling over Paige's words and gathering his courage. That night, after Claudia had gone to bed, Derek made up his mind. "Hey, Stiles? Can I talk to you?"

"Of course," Stiles said at once, looking concerned. He'd heard nothing from Scott after his chat with Derek, except Scott's assertion that they could deal with this mess themselves. "What is it?"

"I-- Scott mentioned that you thought I was seeing someone," Derek said, more than a little nervous. "I'm not."

Stiles' eyes widened. "Oh," he said dumbly. And then, "But I thought-- Paige?"

Derek shook his head. "I don't... like... women, not like that." For obvious reasons.

Stiles realised what he meant, and immediately felt like shit. "Of course you don't," he said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

Derek shrugged. "Happens to everyone. But uh, yeah-- I'm not seeing anyone."

"Um, okay," Stiles stammered, a tiny glimmer of hope igniting in his chest. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

No, no it wasn't-- but Derek's courage abruptly deserted him. "Yeah, I just wanted to clear that up." He couldn't shake the feeling that Stiles didn't _really_ want him, someone with so much baggage.

Stiles felt like he was on the edge of something, something he really didn't want to miss, so he nodded toward the sofa with a small smile. "Come sit, okay?" he said softly. "I think I should tell you some things."

Derek hesitated only a moment before complying. "What kind of things?" he asked apprehensively.

"Nothing scary," Stiles promised quickly. "Just... Has Lydia told you anything, about our past?"

Derek shook his head silently.

Stiles smiled wistfully. "Claudia is beautiful and perfect and I love her with all of my heart," he told Derek, "but she was a mistake. I was in love with Lydia for pretty much my entire high school career, but I never stood a chance. She was the super rich, super popular girl, and I was the super poor, super spazzy boy, y'know? And she was dating this guy Jackson who captained the lacrosse team and was a huge jerk. But Allison was Lydia's best friend, and when she started dating Scott I somehow started hanging out with Lydia. We were both really smart and she definitely enjoyed my hero worship. We got really close, and when Jackson broke up with her, she came to me for comfort. A couple months later she turned up on my doorstep, positive pregnancy test in hand."

_Oh._  "And now?"

"And now we're friends," Stiles answered. "Good friends. I told her I'd support her, even offered to marry her, but that wasn't what she wanted. She loves Claudia as much as I do, but the stay-at-home-mom thing isn't for her. She's off chasing her dreams most of the time, and it took me a while, but I understand. So does Claudia, in her own way. I accepted that Lydia and I aren't meant to be a long time ago."

"Oh. Well, that's good, that Claudia still gets to see her mom," Derek said; that small warmth that had been planted during his conversation with Paige started to grow more the longer he talked to Stiles.

Stiles nodded in agreement, smiling. "Lydia's with a guy called Aiden now, and Claudia's met him a few times but he's not really a part of her life," he said carefully. "It'd be a bigger deal if I were to start dating, I think."

Derek nodded in agreement. "Yeah; you're the one she lives with, after all."

"Not that that's ever been a problem," Stiles joked. "Most guys lose interest when they find out you have a kid."

Derek looked to Stiles in surprise. "'Guys'?" he asked, trying to hide the new hope in his voice but failing.

Stiles thought that might have been a point of interest. "Guys," he confirmed, smiling shyly. "I'm bisexual."

"Oh. Well that's, that's good," Derek said, answering Stiles's small smile with one of his own.

"It is?" Stiles asked, his heart in his throat.

"Yeah, it is," Derek said. "I, um-- I'm sorry, for running away after we kissed. I just... realized some things, and felt a bit overwhelmed."

Stiles looked sheepish. "I never should have kissed you," he conceded. "It was a lot to put on you all at once and you deserved better than that. I don't blame you for making a hasty escape."

Derek shook his head. "I liked it," he admitted aloud for the first time. "That wasn't the problem." He glanced down at his hands, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I was... I didn't think you'd really want someone like me. And when you said that the kiss didn't change anything..."

"No!" Stiles almost shouted, before backing down and trying again, quieter but no less earnest. "No, that's not what I meant _at all_." He reached out and tentatively slid a hand into one of Derek's. "I didn't think _you'd_ want _me_. Me and Claudia, we're a bit of a handful. More than a bit. And I know you like routine and consistency, and we... can't give you that."

Derek squeezed Stiles's hand. "I like routine," he agreed, "but I also like you and Claudia. A lot. I wouldn't have stayed if I wasn't okay with the occasional disruption."

"It wouldn't be occasional disruption, though," Stiles insisted. "If we were to... if we were to date, it would be a lot more full-on than it is now. You'd have to deal with both of us, together, on a regular basis. And it wouldn't be so easy for you to walk away if it got too much."

"It wouldn't be easy for me to walk away now," Derek pointed out. "I love Claudia, and... I really care for you."

Stiles huffed out a breath, smiling even as his cheeks reddened. "I really care about you, too," he admitted. "And I want to say right now that your PTSD had nothing to do with me backing off, except that I didn't want to trigger you or anything. It wasn't about me not wanting to be with _someone like you_."

Christ Almighty, just when Derek thought he couldn't find another reason to care for Stiles. "Thank you, for telling me," he said gratefully, smiling at Stiles.

Stiles squeezed Derek's hand. "You're welcome," he said softly.

 

************

Stiles went to bed that night feeling like something great had happened. He and Derek were on the same page now, and hopefully that meant that they could start to build some sort of relationship. Stiles didn't want to speak too soon, but he was quietly confident. He thought that he could make Derek happy, and he knew that Derek could make him happy. Still, he knew that they needed to take things slow.

It was with this in mind that Stiles didn't attempt to contact Derek over the next couple of days. Their talk had taken place on a Friday, and Derek didn't work over the weekend; Stiles took the opportunity to spend some time with Claudia and his dad and give Derek the space he probably needed. The plan was to explain this logic on Monday morning, but he got called into work on an emergency and had to rush off pretty much as soon as Derek arrived, babbling apologies and promises to catch up with him later.

When he finally got home at almost eight thirty that night, he was exhausted. The house was dark and quiet, and Stiles went straight upstairs to check on Claudia before anything else, figuring that Derek had probably fallen asleep. He was wrong. When Stiles crept into the living room five minutes later it was deserted, the TV off, and he had to move further into the house.

What he found when he walked into the kitchen stole his breath away. The room was illuminated only by the candles Derek had set out on the table, their flickering light dancing over two plates of heavenly-smelling pasta, two glasses of wine and, _dear God_ , a single rose standing in another glass between them. Derek himself was hovering awkwardly beside one of the chairs, looking utterly adorable, and Stiles' heart melted. "Derek," he breathed, awed. "This is..."

"Like it?" Derek asked, a bit sheepish. "I wanted to do something for you, but I-- well, I've never done this sort of thing before."

"I love it," Stiles said earnestly, gracing Derek with a tired but sincere smile. "I've never done this before either, but I'd say this is pretty much perfect."

Derek flushed. "Good. C'mon, I made your favorite," he said, holding a chair out for Stiles.

"Such a gentleman," Stiles teased as he sat down. "God, this smells amazing. You're kind of wonderful, y'know?"

Derek's smile was small, but pleased. "It's nice to hear from someone else," he said; nice to hear at all, actually.

"Well, you're never gonna stop hearing it now," Stiles promised, grinning over at Derek as he sat down across from him. "I was gonna call you over the weekend, but I figured you might need some space."

"Thank you," Derek said gratefully. He had needed that, to be able to process everything that had happened.

"I guess all this means you're not having second thoughts?" Stiles asked as he started to dig in.

Derek shook his head with a smile. "Not at all," he reassured Stiles.

Stiles was too busy moaning his appreciation around a mouthful of pasta to answer.

 

************

Surprisingly, it wasn't too much different being in a relationship with Stiles than not-- the only real difference was now they felt free to be a lot more affectionate with each other. They still didn't kiss much, mostly just a soft one at the end of each night when Derek went home, but they rarely went longer than five minutes without touching each other now. In hindsight, Derek shouldn't have been surprised when the sheriff figured out what was going on between them.

They weren't in any kind of compromising position when he finally happened upon them together. They were just eating dinner - the candles and rose were gone but the wine remained - and okay, maybe their ankles were brushing under the table, but it wasn't like the sheriff could see that without getting down on the floor. Still, it was intimate enough that they felt like they'd been caught red-handed, and if the sheriff didn't already have his suspicions, the way they flushed guiltily under his scrutiny would have been enough. As it was, he just looked really smug.

"Okay, you two. Why don't you drop the Bambi act and tell me what's going on here?"

"We were just having dinner," Derek offered. He wasn't sure what Stiles wanted to tell the sheriff in regards to their relationship.

"Just having dinner," the sheriff repeated, unimpressed. He turned to his son. "Stiles?"

"Just having dinner," Stiles agreed with a quick glance at Derek. "With my boyfriend?"

The sheriff raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound very sure about that."

Derek startled, but then beamed at Stiles; they hadn't put a name to their relationship yet. "Yes," he agreed. "With your boyfriend."

Stiles grinned and reached over the table to take Derek's hand, a gesture that the sheriff watched closely. "Is it serious?" he asked. "Are you going to tell Claudia?"

"We-- Yes," Stiles answered. "To both of those questions. But we're not going to tell Claudia yet. We don't want to rush into anything."

"We were planning to do it soon," Derek added. "She's smart; I'd be surprised if she hasn't figured out _something_  is up."

"That doesn't mean that she should know what," the sheriff pointed out. "If you're not sure this will work, it wouldn't be fair to tell her."

Derek hesitated, glancing at Stiles. "I'm pretty confident," he said quietly.

Stiles smiled softly. "Me too," he said. "You don't have to worry, Dad. We've thought about this a lot and we know what we're doing."

The sheriff studied them for several long moments, as though trying to come to a judgement. At last, he grinned. "Well, I'm very happy for you," he announced. "It's about damn time."

Derek flushed at the sheriff's words. "Thank you."

Evidently pleased with himself, the sheriff helped himself to the leftovers of their meal but moved into the living room to eat, leaving the couple to talk. Stiles gave Derek's hand a squeeze. "Was that okay?" he asked. "He was kind of... pushy."

Derek chuckled. "He was, a little," he conceded. "But I'm okay. You?"

"I'm okay," Stiles said, nodding. "I meant what I said, about being in this for the long haul."

"So did I," Derek said with a pleased smile.

"I'm okay," Stiles said, nodding. "I meant what I said, about being in this for the long haul."

Stiles returned it tenfold. "I think it's time we tell Claudia."

 

************

The next day, Stiles gave Claudia permission to stay up until he got home so that he and Derek could talk to her. Claudia pestered Derek all day to try to find out what they were going to talk about, but Derek-- barely-- managed to hold firm. When Stiles got home, Derek turned Claudia loose on him while he finished up dinner. "Can you see she's excited?"

"I can most definitely see that," Stiles laughed even as Claudia climbed him like a tree. He hoisted her more securely into his arms and followed Derek through to the kitchen.

"Can you tell me now?" Claudia asked impatiently. "Please _please_ , Daddy, Derek wouldn't tell me and I _really_ wanna know!"

"Claud, baby, can't I have dinner first?" Stiles begged. "I've had a long day and whatever Derek's making smells really good."

Claudia made a frustrated sound. "But I wanna _know_!"

"Honey, I promise we'll tell you, but we all need to eat now; dinner's ready and none of us have eaten," Derek chided gently. "We'll talk while we eat, okay?"

The only trouble with that was, once they sat down, Stiles had no idea what he wanted to say. He glanced at Derek, who looked just as lost, and cleared his throat. "Sweetie, do you remember Aiden?" he asked.

Claudia didn't even look up from her food. "You mean Mommy's boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Stiles said, swallowing. "How do you feel about that? About Mommy having a boyfriend."

Claudia shrugged. "He's nice. He bought me a dinosaur once."

"Well," Derek said slowly, "what would you think about your Dad having a boyfriend?"

Claudia seemed to think about it. "I wouldn't like it if he wasn't nice to me," she decided.

"I wouldn't either," Stiles promised, briefly meeting Derek's gaze. "Baby, how would you feel if my boyfriend was Derek?"

Claudia's eyes went wide. "Would I have to watch you _kiss_?"

Derek couldn't help but laugh. "No," he reassured her. "We might kiss, but you don't have to watch."

"Would you move in here?" Claudia asked.

Derek glanced over at Stiles. "Maybe," he answered.

Stiles' jaw slackened. They hadn't discussed this - but apparently the answer was _maybe_?

Claudia, meanwhile, continued her interrogation. "Would you still look after me?"

"Of course," Derek said, mock-offended. He couldn't help a small smile; he found it endearing how Claudia seemed determined to make sure Derek was the best choice.

"And would you love my daddy forever and ever?" Claudia pressed.

"Okay!" Stiles swept in, embarrassed. "How about you don't marry us just yet, sweetheart?"

Claudia's eyes widened. "Are you getting _married_?!"

Stiles fought the urge to facepalm, his cheeks reddening. "No, Claud, we're not getting married," he explained carefully. "Derek is my boyfriend now, but he hasn't been for very long. We just wanted to make sure you were okay with that."

Claudia didn't even need time to think. "You should get married."

Derek chuckled, the back of his neck burning a bit. "Sweetheart, that is something that will be decided later, okay? Right now, we're just dating."

"But you love each other, right?" Claudia pushed, impatient.

"We care for each other," Derek started. "But we don't know if it's love yet."

Claudia sighed as she mulled that over. At last she said, "Okay," and that was it.

"That's it?" Stiles asked, amazed.

"Yep," Claudia said, smiling. "I can't wait to tell Grandpa!"

Derek couldn't help but laugh, both at Claudia's easy acceptance and the look on Stiles's face. "You can tell him tomorrow, okay?"

Stiles quickly schooled his expression back into that of Stern Parent. "Derek's right, it's getting late."

Claudia pouted. "But I wanna hang out with you guys!" she whined. "I never get to do that!"

"Well," Stiles said reasonably, "maybe if you ask Derek nicely, he'll come over this weekend and we can all hang out together. How about that?"

Claudia turned back to Derek, that hopeful little smile she'd definitely learned from Scott turned up to a hundred. "Will you, please?"

"Well..." Derek drawled, but gave in with a chuckle. "All right; I'll come over this weekend, and we'll all do something together, how about that?"

Claudia lit up, but her delighted cry was interrupted by a yawn. "All right, missy," Stiles laughed. "Two more bites and then bed."

Claudia pouted, but didn't argue. Derek helped her wash up and get ready for bed, heading back downstairs with Stiles once she was tucked in and had received goodnight kisses from both of them. "Well," he said with a chuckle, "that was relatively painless."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Stiles said, linking his fingers with Derek's and pulling him over to the sofa. "We covered the whole 'boys can have boyfriends too' thing a long time ago, and I know she loves you. I expected more fireworks, though."

Derek laughed. "I get the feeling that we were the last ones to figure out that we liked each other," he confessed.

"We were kinda slow," Stiles conceded, cuddling into Derek. "But it was worth it in the end."

Derek wound his arms around Stiles with a small smile, still a bit disbelieving that he actually got to _have_ this. "Definitely," he agreed, pressing his lips to Stiles's temple.

 

************

Derek kept his promise and came over that weekend, to both Stiles' and Claudia's delight. They went to the zoo, and while Claudia ran wild, Stiles and Derek trailed after her at a much more sedate pace, holding hands and chatting amiably. A few people did a double-take but they weren't nasty about it and Stiles was kind of enjoying it, being out in public with his _boyfriend_.

Stiles was trying to convince Claudia to venture into the reptile house when he was interrupted by a pretty brunette woman reaching across him to touch Derek's arm.

"Damn, you never told me he was _this_ good looking."

"Um, excuse me?" Stiles demanded, affronted - and then astonished when Claudia promptly wrapped her arms around the woman's legs as if she'd known her for years. " _What_."

Derek couldn't help but laugh at the look on Stiles's face. "Stiles, this is Paige; Paige, Stiles," he introduced. "Claud, dear, she needs her legs to balance."

Stiles relaxed immediately, and shook Paige's hand when she offered it with a smile. "Sorry, I just-- I was surprised," he said lamely.

Paige just laughed. "It's fine. I understand why you freaked." Stiles was kind of surprised that Derek had told Paige about his issues with women, but he didn't let it show. "Derek's told me all about you - including how cute you are, but even his gushing didn't do you justice."

Stiles couldn't help but smile. "It's great to finally meet you. Is this your son?" He'd just noticed the little boy hanging from Paige's other hand; Claudia was sharing her bag of chips with him.

"Yeah, this is Benjamin." Paige gave her son's hand a little shake, and he managed a mumbled 'hello' before returning his attention to Claudia.

Derek flushed. "Really, Paige?" he complained.

Paige giggled. "What?" she asked innocently. "Am I not allowed to introduce myself to your new beau?"

"You are absolutely allowed to do that," Stiles answered, squeezing Derek's hand. "Would you like to join us? We were just trying to convince Claudia to come see the snakes."

"They're gross," Claudia said darkly, scowling.

"Snakes are really cool!" Paige and Benjamin said together. Paige laughed. "Why don't we all go in together?"

Derek sighed. "I'm going to regret introducing you two, aren't I?" he asked rhetorically, before taking Claudia's hand. "Come on sweetheart, what do you say? Wanna go look at the reptiles? They're all in glass cages, so you don't have to touch any of them."

Claudia did not look happy, but she nodded. "I guess it could be okay. If Paige and Ben come."

Stiles grinned.

 

***************

Things went smoothly for about another month after that-- Stiles and Derek's relationship wasn't _perfect_ , by any measure, but they were willing to work for it. They had a couple of minor spats, mostly over Derek trying to sneak the sheriff some "forbidden" food items on the rare occasions that the sheriff made it home before Stiles did, but they didn't have any real major fights.

Or at least, they hadn't until today.

Lydia had claimed Claudia for a girl’s afternoon, and Derek had been tidying up the house; Ben had come over to play for a bit that morning, and even though they’d picked up their toys, blankets and pillows were still strewn over the house from when they’d gotten the idea to play knights. Derek had decided to make dinner for him and Stiles, but was missing a few ingredients. He prepared what he could, texting Stiles and asking him to pick up the missing food-- but when Stiles came in, tossing his keys onto the coffee table as he yawned, there was a conspicuous lack of grocery bags. "Stiles-- did you get my text?"

"What? No." Stiles fished his phone out of his pocket, and sighed. "Battery's dead. Was it important?"

Derek suppressed a sigh of his own. "No, just some ingredients that I needed to finish making dinner," he said, heading into the kitchen to wrap up what he'd already used; if he stuck it in the fridge, it'd keep until tomorrow, when Derek could pick the items up himself.

Stiles followed; one look at the work Derek had already put in made him feel awful. "I can go back out," he offered resignedly, glancing at the clock. "It's not that late. What did you need?"

Derek listed off the ingredients he needed; he didn't feel too awful about making Stiles go back out. That's what he got for letting his phone die. "Lydia took Claudia for the afternoon; she said she’d be back around eight or so," he remembered. He and Lydia had... _slightly_ warmed up to each other; she was still too self-assured and aggressive for Derek to feel truly comfortable with her, and he wasn't sure about Lydia's motivations for not particularly liking him.

"Okay, that's fine," Stiles said absently, patting his pockets and looking around. "I'll pick up some wine while I'm out. Umm..." He wandered out and back into the living room, giving the coffee table a quick once-over. "Derek, did you see what I did with my keys?"

"You tossed them somewhere," Derek said, focused on covering the food so flies didn't get in it. "I heard them hit something."

"I could've sworn I put them on the coffee table..." Stiles bent down to look under it but all he could see was a stray dust bunny he must have missed while vacuuming yesterday. "Are you sure you didn't pick them up?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "I walked right into the kitchen," Derek pointed out. "I was standing like, two feet from the doorway. Nowhere near wherever you tossed your keys."

Stiles huffed in frustration and walked back into the kitchen. "Okay, give me your keys."

"Excuse me?" Derek asked incredulously. "Why?"

"Because I can't find mine and you want me to buy your stuff," Stiles answered, holding out a hand expectantly.

"I'll just grab what I need on the way here tomorrow; this will keep in the fridge," Derek said dismissively. "Go find your own damn keys; you're the one who lost them." Okay, maybe Derek was a little more upset than he let on, but he was tired, okay?

Stiles stared at Derek; it was his turn to demand, "Excuse me?" He couldn't believe Derek was talking to him like this. "I'm trying to do you a favour. I'm tired, and I know we're both hungry; I just thought it would be quicker to take your car than to turn the house upside down looking for my keys. There's no need to bite my head off."

"I'll just heat up some leftovers," Derek said, a bit impatiently. "It's not that big of a deal-- just go find your keys so you don't have to turn the house upside down tomorrow before you leave for work tomorrow morning."

Stiles opened his mouth to argue further, but quickly realised that anything he said in the heat of the moment he'd only regret. "Whatever," he snapped instead, feeling every bit the petulant teenager, and stormed out of the room, adding in a muttered, "I didn't want to drive your stupid car anyway."

Derek wasn't sure whether or not Stiles had meant for him to hear that-- but he did. He followed Stiles into the living room, demanding angrily, "Excuse you? Have you _seen_ the car you drive? I'm surprised that thing can even make it out the driveway!"

Stiles spun to face him, his eyes flashing. " _What_? That car has never let me down! It gets me from A to B, which is exactly what a car is _for_ , meanwhile _your_ car just looks like overcompensation!"

"'Overcompensation'?" Derek repeated, staring at Stiles. "Then what does _yours_ say about you? You like to live on the edge of never getting where you need to be?"

"At least it doesn't say that I have a tiny dick!" Stiles yelled.

"Oh, _fuck_ you," Derek snarled. "Really? You're supposed to be a _parent_ , Stiles, but you're gonna be that immature?"

"Like you're the perfect poster boy for adulthood right now," Stiles scoffed. He turned his back on Derek, hating how red his face felt. "Just back off, okay? I need to find my damn keys."

"If you could just set them down instead of throwing them, you wouldn't be having this problem," Derek pointed out.

"Well, we can't all be as perfect as you," Stiles said snidely as he felt down the arm of the sofa.

Derek rolled his eyes, moving to sift through the various magazines and random crap on the coffee table. "No, I guess you can't," he said haughtily, still more than a little miffed. "You're sure you looked around here?"

Stiles turned and moved up behind Derek, peering over his shoulder. "Definitely," he answered. "And look at that, they're _not there_. I'm not blind, y'know."

"Well where the hell else could they--" Derek started, sweeping his arm out in a dramatic gesture; unfortunately, he hadn't realized Stiles was behind him, and he ended up nailing Stiles in the face with his elbow. " _Shit!_ "

Stiles was on the floor before he even knew what was happening, feeling like his face had exploded. "Fuck," he groaned, the word slightly muffled by the hand he had clutched over his nose. "Oh my _God_." He rolled onto his front to push himself up, and that was when he saw them. Tucked neatly behind one of the coffee table legs were his keys. He picked them up, still holding his face, and started to laugh.

" _What_ is going on here?!" The pitch at which these words were shrieked made them both jump. Lydia was standing in the doorway looking murderous. "Did you just _hit_ him?!"

"Lydia, no--"

"How _dare_ you?" Lydia stormed into the room, got right up in Derek's face until she was all he could see. "Who the _fuck_ do you think you are? You low-life piece of shit, think it's okay to beat your boyfriend? _How long has this been going on_?"

Derek, who'd seen Stiles find his keys, had started to smile, ready to chuckle-- and then Lydia laid into him. He maybe could've taken her yelling, but the way she advanced on him, the things she called him-- Derek scrambled backwards, tripping over Stiles's feet and crashing to the floor, his ears ringing and his mind blanking, his only coherent thought being that he had to try to get away, that he couldn't let Kate get him, not again, never again--

"Lydia, _stop_!" Stiles' shout worked, shocking Lydia into silence, and he took his chance to scramble over to Derek's side and pull him close. "Goddamn it, Lydia, he didn't hit me!"

"You're _bleeding_!" Lydia screeched, and okay, Stiles hadn't known that. He used his free hand to rub at his nose and found that she was right. "Claudia is waiting in the car because I heard yelling, and you're trying to tell me he isn't hurting you?"

"Okay, he hit me, but it was an accident," he said quickly. "I was right behind him and he didn't know and he elbowed me in the face, he didn't mean to! Look, we can talk about this later; I need you to leave."

" _What_."

"Please," Stiles begged. "Just, take Claudia back to your place or something."

"And leave you alone with _him_?!"

"Look at him!" Stiles hissed. It was obvious that Derek wasn't in the room with them anymore, was trapped in some terrifying place inside his head. "Do you really think he could--"

"Dad?"

Stiles and Lydia turned to see Claudia standing in the doorway, looking scared and unsure. Stiles fought the urge to scream. "Everything's fine, I'm just a little busy right now, sweetheart," he tried, but Claudia just huffed with frustration.

"Not _you_." She stomped into the room and shoved past her mother in order to drop to her knees at Derek's side. Two little hands came up to his face, fingers pushing into his beard. " _Dad_. Are you okay?"

Derek, who'd been frantically counting in his head-- just counting to ten and back, over and over-- blinked a bit when he heard Claudia's voice, the title 'Dad' directed at him. After a few moments, he managed to focus on Claudia enough to give her a shaky smile. "I'm-- I'm better, Dee," he said, voice as shaky as his expression; he was really grateful that Stiles still had his arms around him.

Claudia flung herself into Derek's arms, sniffling against his throat, and Stiles adjusted his hold accordingly. "Please leave, Lydia," he begged again, sounding strained. "I promise I'll explain everything later, but I need you to go."

Lydia looked like she was in pain. "But Claudia--"

"Is safe," Stiles insisted quietly. "Look at her." It was undeniably true. The way the two were clinging to each other screamed _love_ and _family_ , not _danger_ or _abuse_. "Please."

Stiles saw the moment Lydia gave in, the way her shoulders relaxed for a split second before she reset them purposefully. "You _will_ call me," she told him. When Stiles nodded, all Lydia could do was leave.

Derek didn't even hear the door shut, too busy burying his face in Claudia's hair, breathing in the mango-scented shampoo she insisted on using and counting his breaths, his heartbeat still racing. "I'm sorry," he mumbled after a moment. "Shouldn't have swung my arm so fast."

"It wasn't your fault," Stiles soothed, stroking Derek's hair. "I'll talk to Lydia, make sure she understands that."

Derek nodded, still taking in deep breaths. "Thank you. For-- you know."

"Always," Stiles murmured.

"Daddy?" Claudia asked, still talking into Derek's neck, and this time Stiles knew it was him she was addressing.

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Were you fighting?"

Stiles squeezed them both a little tighter. "No, baby. It was all a big misunderstanding."

"Were you stupid?" Claudia asked, and Stiles laughed.

"Really stupid."

Derek couldn't help but smile at that, his heartbeat settling into something less rabbit-like. "We were both being stupid."

"Sounds about right," Claudia sighed, and this time Stiles' laugh shook all three of them.

"I love you," he announced, slightly breathless. "Both of you."

Derek froze, then looked up; he knew his eyes had to be huge. "You-- really?"

It took Stiles a moment to find his tongue. "Yes," he said softly. "Is that okay?"

Derek took a second, but then grinned wide enough to almost split his face in two. "Yes, it is," he said, reaching for Stiles and hauling him in.

They kissed until Claudia's little hands found their faces and forced them apart. "You said I wouldn't have to see that!"

Derek laughed, letting Claudia push him away from Stiles. "Sorry, honey, but that's the first time your daddy told me he loves me. I got a bit carried away."

"You're disgusting," Claudia told him bluntly. "And you didn't say it back."

"You're right, I didn't," Derek said, offering Claudia an apologetic smile. When he turned to face Stiles, the smile morphed into something a lot softer, and more than a little shy. "For the record, I love you, too."

Stiles laughed, light and happy, and pulled Derek back in for another kiss. This time, they ignored Claudia's indignant cry of, "Oh, _gross_!"

 

************

The next couple of days only really changed in one respect: Stiles and Derek had a harder time keeping their hands off of each other, much to Claudia's disgust. Derek enjoyed it, taking every opportunity he could to get his hands on Stiles and to tell the other man that he loved him. Stiles had called Lydia the other night, explaining to her what had happened and why; Derek wasn't sure what Lydia's reaction had been, and he hadn't had the guts to ask Stiles.

One thing that Derek couldn't forget, though, was the name that Claudia had called him, the name that had helped to bring him back from his panic. She hadn't called him that since, and Derek wasn't sure how he felt about that. On the one hand, he wanted to hear her call him that again, to know for sure that she really felt like he was her other father, but... Well, to be perfectly honest, he wasn't sure why exactly he was a bit apprehensive about hearing her call him that again.

Claudia was feeling just as on edge as Derek. No one had mentioned what she'd said after the fact, and she had no idea if Derek had even heard her, let alone if it was okay or not. So she avoided calling him anything, until it slipped out again.

She was playing in the living room while Derek cooked dinner, when she heard a shout of pain. Abandoning her dinosaurs, Claudia ran into the kitchen to find Derek sucking on his finger. "Da--Derek!" she stuttered, suddenly embarrassed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby," Derek reassured her, shaking his hand a bit. "I just smashed my finger with the cabinet door." It didn't escape his notice that she'd almost called him 'Dad', but he felt awkward bringing it up; it showed in the supposed-to-be-reassuring smile he gave her.

Claudia felt awkward too, and rather like she wanted to cry, although she didn't quite understand why. She gave Derek another once over, making sure he really was okay, and then ran from the room.

Of course, that was when Stiles came in. Derek gave him a strained half-smile; he and Claudia had been off-balance since his episode. "Hey."

"Hey." Stiles kissed Derek on the cheek and pulled back to search his face. "Is everything okay?"

Derek sighed, gesturing to the doorway that Claudia had run through. "Things have been... weird, ever since she called me 'Dad.' She almost did it just now, when I squished my finger in the cabinet door."

"But she stopped herself?" Stiles asked, frowning. "Are you... Do you want her to call you Dad?"

"I'd like it," Derek confessed. "I love her so much. But, I don't-- I don't know how to tell her that."

Stiles smiled softly and touched Derek's face. "I'll talk to her," he promised. "I know she loves you, too."

Derek smiled at Stiles, leaning in for a quick kiss. "Thank you."

It took Stiles a few minutes to find Claudia, curled up beneath a blanket in her room. He sat down on the floor beside her and lifted the corner of the blanket, peering inside. "Whatcha doin'?"

Claudia shrugged, fiddling with a stray thread. "Is D-Derek mad?" she asked, her voice quiet.

"No, sweetheart," Stiles soothed. "Why do you think he'd be mad?"

"Because I almost called him 'Dad'," Claudia said, glancing up at Stiles briefly. "He didn't say I could."

"Did he say you couldn't?" Stiles asked, smiling.

Claudia thought that over for a moment. "No," she admitted slowly.

"And do you _want_ to call him 'Dad'?" Stiles continued.

Claudia nodded. "I love him like I love you," she said, her voice small.

Stiles' heart melted, and he held out a hand. "So why don't you come downstairs and tell him that?"

Claudia hesitated, but then allowed her daddy to pull her out of her nest and lead her downstairs. Derek looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, smiling when he saw Stiles leading Claudia. "Hey," he said, setting down the ladle he'd been using to stir the chili he was making.

"Hey," Stiles returned, smiling. "I think someone has something she'd like to say." He let go of Claudia's hand and gave her an encouraging little push, which left her standing between them.

Her lip was wobbling slightly when she looked up at Derek, but it was quite obvious that she was making an effort to be brave. "I love you like I love my daddy," she told him. "And I'd like to call you 'Dad'."

Derek's heart just about melted; he knelt down, so that he was on Claudia's level, and held his arms out. "I'd love that," he said earnestly. "I love you, too, baby."

Claudia was on him in a flash, burrowing deep into his hold and sighing as she drew from it the comfort that she needed. Behind her, Stiles was absolutely not crying.

 

************

That Thursday, Derek handed Stiles a piece of paper as soon as he walked in the door that morning-- it was his official two weeks' notice. Derek was a bit nervous; he wasn't quite sure how Stiles was going to take what he had to say.

Stiles couldn't even hide his confusion when he realised what he was holding; he asked Claudia to leave the room and turned to Derek, his face pale. "What is this?" he asked. "There are easier ways to break up with someone, you know."

"I'm not breaking up with you," Derek explained. "But it's a bit odd for you to keep paying me to look after _our_ daughter, don't you think?"

"Oh." Stiles turned that concept over in his head, and then he smiled. " _Oh_. That's-- that's a good point." He closed the distance between them, his arms going around Derek's shoulders. " _Our_ daughter. I like the sound of that."

Derek smiled, wrapping his own arms around Stiles. “So do I,” he agreed, leaning in for a kiss.

Stiles gladly met him halfway, his eyes sliding shut when their lips touched. He'd definitely made the right choice.

 

************

Things settled down after that; Derek couldn't help but get a huge grin on his face whenever Claudia referred to him as her dad. He still had a hard time believing, sometimes, that he actually got to _have_ this-- Stiles and Claudia-- after everything that had happened to him.

However, as the end of summer drew nearer, Derek could tell that something was bothering Stiles; about a week before the big day, Derek finally asked him about it. "You've been pensive lately," he noted as they settled onto the couch, watching reruns of _Crime and Punishment._ "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, really," Stiles answered after a moment. "Just... Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Derek replied immediately.

Stiles bit his lip, but made himself look Derek in the eye. "Why haven't I met any of your family?"

That silenced Derek for a moment; he worried his lower lip as he thought of a way to explain it. "We... don't see each other much," he said carefully. "Back... Back before Kate-- she used to stalk me. She didn't just take me out of the blue. She stalked me, would approach me-- didn't matter if I was alone or with family-- and say inappropriate things. I always thought there was something wrong with her, but they... They just dismissed it. After, when she died while the police rescued me... They overcompensated, and it... It never felt genuine. I never heard them apologize, or... or anything. I ended up moving to New York, to get away from everything, and then Jennifer... They pay for my apartment, and insurance, but we don't-- talk."

Stiles frowned, sliding his hand over Derek's leg. "Do they know about Jennifer?" he asked. "Did they help you, after?"

"I was missing for a month and a half," Derek reminded Stiles, moving his own hand to intertwine his fingers with Stiles's. "They paid for me to start seeing Deaton, and again, they said they should have kept better tabs, and just... A lot of empty words."

"I'm so sorry," Stiles said softly, squeezing Derek's hand. "You deserve better than that."

Derek sighed, resting his cheek against the top of Stiles's head. "Thank you," he murmured. "For listening, and just... being you."

Stiles smiled. "I love you."

Derek returned the smile, dropping a kiss to Stiles's head. "I love you, too."

 

************

Stiles thought about what Derek had told him throughout all of the next day, and had just about reached a decision by the time he arrived home. Everything was chased from his mind, however, the moment he stepped through the door. The house was mostly dark, save for the candles that lit both the living room and, he soon saw, the kitchen. Just like the first time, Derek was in the process of cooking a fantastic-smelling meal; the plates were laid out ready on top of a pristine white tablecloth and accompanied by not just one rose, but a whole bouquet. It was immediately evident that Claudia was not home, and Stiles found himself smiling as he crossed over to where Derek was standing and took him into his arms. "What's all this?" he asked, kissing him.

Derek returned the kiss, pulling away with a chuckle. "What, I can't do something romantic for my boyfriend?"

"Oh, I'm not complaining," Stiles assured him with a smirk. "Trust me, you can do this whenever you want. What are we eating?"

"Chicken Alfredo linguini with broccoli and cauliflower," Derek answered. "Just straining the pasta now."

Stiles grinned. "Sounds perfect."

Derek smiled. "Come on, let's eat."

Dinner went well, and afterwards they retired to the couch, Derek curled up against Stiles. They were supposedly watching tv, but really it just played in the background as they lazily made out-- at least, until Derek suddenly gathered his courage and moved to straddle Stiles, hesitating and looking to the other in question. "Is this okay?"

Stiles was a little shocked by this development, but more than on board with it. He gripped Derek's hips as he kissed him hard on the mouth, until both were panting. "Absolutely," he told him earnestly. "God, I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied, smiling down at Stiles. Tentatively, he ground down-- he'd never done this before, not with a man, but he loved Stiles and he wanted to do this. Wanted to try, at least.

Stiles gasped and then groaned, rocking his hips up instinctively to chase the sensation. "Oh, yeah," he sighed, closing his eyes. " _Derek_."

The words prickled, but Derek shoved them aside, reminding himself that this was _Stiles_ , not Kate or Jennifer. He rocked his hips again, holding onto the back of the couch for leverage. "Feels good," he admitted quietly-- and it did, if Derek ignored the quiet thrum if anxiety in the back of his mind.

Stiles moaned his agreement and kissed Derek again, this time with one hand fisted in his hair. He was hard already and he could feel Derek starting to chub up too, and God, this was exactly what he needed.

Derek winced and reached up, carefully untangling Stiles's fingers from his hair. "I don't like that," he said softly, almost apologetically. After another moment, he took a deep breath and reached down for the hem of Stiles's shirt, tugging gently. "Please?" he asked.

Stiles apologised softly even as he complied, letting Derek pull his shirt off. "You too?" Derek hesitated, but complied-- he had... Well, he had a lot of scars, scars that were normally hidden by his clothing. But this was Stiles, Derek reminded himself once more. If he couldn't trust Stiles, who could he?

Stiles masked his surprise well, and after a second's hesitation lifted a hand to Derek's chest, traced a long, thin scar along his collarbone. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

Derek was absolutely _not_ going to cry. Still, it took him a few moments before he could speak past the sudden lump in his throat. "So are you," he mumbled, reaching out to idly trace connecting lines between the moles sprinkled over Stiles's chest.

Stiles smiled, sliding his hand up and over Derek's shoulder to play with his hair a little. "How far do you want this to go?" he asked softly.

Derek thought about it for a moment. "I don't want to go all the way," he admitted-- he knew he was nowhere near ready for that, and might never be. "But I do want you to touch me."

Stiles nodded. "I'd love to," he murmured.

They took things slow, carefully mapping out each other's bodies, each learning where the other liked to be touched most. Stiles learned that-- despite being more than a little ticklish in that area-- Derek really liked it when Stiles ran the tips of his fingers up and down Derek's sides, as long as he didn't dig them in(because then Derek might accidentally hit him again; it was dumb luck that Stiles managed to dodge this time). The only problem was, well, that anytime Stiles's hands drift lower, Derek's erection, well... wilted. Everything was fine so long as Stiles's hands were, apparently, more than approximately five inches away, but if they got any closer than that, then-- despite the fact that Derek wanted Stiles so much it hurt, that he wanted to know what it would feel like to come with Stiles's hands on him, that he _trusted_ Stiles more than he's trusted anyone in the past decade-- he just couldn't keep it up. Derek let out a frustrated noise, almost a whine, when it happened for the third time.

"Hey," Stiles said softly, soothingly, as his hands drifted back into safer territory once more. "Maybe we should think about applying the brakes."

Derek growled under his breath. "But I don't want to," he said, frustrated(and fully aware that he sounded almost like Claudia when she was told to do something she didn't want to). "I _want_ you. I just--"

"It's okay," Stiles murmured, sliding a hand into Derek's hair. "It's okay if you're not ready."

Derek leaned into the touch, his eyes falling closed as he tried to think of a way to explain it. "I... Mentally, I think I am. I want you, I'm not afraid of having sex with you," he started. "I love you, and I trust you more than I've trusted anyone in... a long time. I know you're not like either of them, and I know you'd stop if I asked you to. But I don't want to stop-- I want your hands on me, I want to know what it feels like with someone I love."

"You will," Stiles promised, his heart aching. " _We_ will. But there's more to sex than, well, sex. We can work up to the big stuff." He guided Derek in, pressed a soft kiss to his lips, and sighed. "Why don't we just go lie down together, hold each other?"

Derek echoed Stiles's sigh. "All right," he agreed, more than a little disappointed and frustrated with himself. But he trusted Stiles, and what he said made sense. He had no intention of leaving Stiles, and he didn't think Stiles had any intention of leaving him-- they had time.

 

************

Stiles didn't have to work the next day, but he made the excuse of having errands to run around lunchtime and headed into the station anyway. When he left he had a slip of paper in his pocket and a determined set to his jaw. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, that he could get into all kinds of trouble for it, but still, he felt like he had to. After the things Derek had shared with him last night, it was the least he could do.

The house, when Stiles pulled up outside of it, looked welcoming and homely. There was a bike in the yard and some smaller kids' toys, and a car in the driveway. Stiles sighed and got out of his own car, walking up the front path to knock on the door with some trepidation.

Laura Romain née Hale, who'd been working on catching up on Parks and Recreation while the kids were out with their father, sighed and heaved herself out of her chair. When she opened the door, she frowned slightly-- the man before her looked a bit familiar, but she couldn't place him. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Romain?" Stiles asked, smiling. "My name is Stiles Stilinski, I was wondering if I could talk to you."

"Oh. Of course," Laura said, though she was still a bit confused. "What about?”

"About your brother."

"Oh." Laura swallowed, then stepped back, motioning for Stiles to come in. "Has something happened to him?"

"No," Stiles was quick to reassure her as he stepped into the house. "I hope you don't mind-- I'm a deputy at the police department, and I'm not here in any sort of official way, but I pulled your address from our database. If you want me to leave, I'll go."

Laura hesitated; she probably should ask him to leave, but... "What did you want to talk about?"

"Derek and I are dating," Stiles explained. "I know a lot of what he's been through, and he told me a couple of days ago that he isn't very close with his family. I think it would really help him to get back in touch with you guys."

"You-- Really?" Laura couldn't hide the hope in her voice-- she'd hated how her brother’s life had turned out, but like the rest of their family, she'd had no idea how to reach out to him. "He trusts you that much?"

Stiles nodded, flushing. "He started out almost a year ago as my childminder, and it hasn't been easy, but it's worth it. I love him.""That's great," Laura said, genuinely happy-- she'd never thought it would happen, though lord knew Derek deserved love. "How is he? I know we're not really the best family, but... Well, there's no real excuse."

"He's... getting there," Stiles said carefully. "He's been on his own for so long, he's having a little difficulty getting used to having people who care about him around all the time. There's good days and bad days."

"Bad days?" Laura echoed, her heart clenching in her chest.

"Days when something triggers him. Days when he doesn't trust us, doesn't trust himself," Stiles explained. And then, because he was feeling daring, "Days when he remembers that everyone else has left him and wonders why we wouldn't do the same."

Laura swallowed heavily. "Ah. Well, I am glad to hear he's doing well. What made you think he might benefit from talking with us?"

"I think he misses you," Stiles said quietly. "I asked why I'd never met any of you and he looked like I'd slapped him. We're all he's got right now, and... I think he just needs to know that you haven't abandoned him. If that's the case."

Laura felt liked _she'd_  been slapped. "He--" She took a breath, and started again. "We didn't know how to reach out to him," she admitted. "We still don't. We love him, and hate that we didn't take him seriously before Kate took him, but we don't... I think we're all too guilty to know how to talk to him."

"A simple 'hello' might be a good start," Stiles suggested bluntly. "Why don't you come for dinner one night next week? Just you."

Laura hesitated. "Are you sure?"

Stiles squared his shoulders. "As long as you are," he said firmly.

"I-- if Derek's okay with it," she said after a moment. "I don't want to make him uncomfortable."

"I'll talk to him," Stiles promised. "Give me your number?"

Laura nodded, grabbing a nearby pen and paper and scribbling down her number. "Thank you," she said as she handed it over. "We really haven't been the best family to him. I'm glad he's found a new one."

Stiles smiled softly as he pocketed the paper. "So are we."

 

************

When Stiles got home, Derek thought he was acting a bit odd-- a suspicion only confirmed as the evening wore on. Eventually, while they were eating dinner, Derek said something. "All right, spill," he said, splashing some malt vinegar on his tater tots. "You've been acting weird since you got home. What's going on?"

"Nothing," Stiles said innocently, glancing at Claudia. "Eat at least half of those carrots, you." When he looked up Derek was still watching him, unconvinced, and he and sighed. "So, I went to see someone today."

Derek eyed Stiles curiously. "Oh? Who?"

Stiles bit his lip. "Your sister."

"My--" Derek blinked. "Which one?"

"Laura?" Stiles hedged, like he was worried Derek would flip.

"Oh." Derek... wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. "What did you talk about?"

"You, mostly," Stiles answered. "I invited her to dinner on Monday."

Derek looked to Stiles in surprise. "... Why?" he asked, a little cautiously.

Stiles sighed. "Because you miss her," he said simply. "And she misses you."

Derek looked down at his plate for a moment, thinking that over. "Okay. Just Laura?"

"Just Laura," Stiles confirmed, smiling. "You'll do it?"

Derek hesitated, then nodded. "As long as it's just her." He'd always been closest to his older sister growing up, and he'd missed her a lot these past several years.

 

************

By the time Monday evening rolled around, everyone was a nervous wreck. Everyone being Stiles and Derek, of course, because Claudia was cool as a cucumber, and rather excited to meet her new aunt. Stiles had taken the afternoon off work because he knew Derek would be too preoccupied to cook, and they'd spent most of the day sharing kisses and hugs and murmured reassurances. Claudia was utterly disgusted, and had taken refuge in her bedroom.

Laura arrived right on time, and Stiles answered the door to her with a big smile in place while Derek hid in the kitchen. "Hey, come on in," he said warmly, stepping back to allow Laura entrance. "Derek's around here somewhere."

Laura offered Stiles a nervous smile as she entered. "Thanks again for inviting me, " she said.

Derek took a deep breath before exiting the kitchen; he couldn't just hide from his sister forever. "Hey, Laura," he said-- the smile he wore felt forced.

"Derek," Laura breathed, looking her brother over. He looked... good, surprisingly. Apparently Stiles and his kid were a good influence. "It's good to see you."

Stiles looked between the two of them and, satisfied, took a step back. "My daughter's just upstairs," he told Laura, smiling. "I'm gonna go see how she's doing. You two talk."

Derek glared at Stiles as he disappeared upstairs. "Traitor," he hissed.

Laura allowed herself to laugh. "He cares about you," she offered. "I think he'd come back in a heartbeat if you asked him to."

"He would," Derek admitted. "One reason why I love him." He hesitated, then gestured behind himself to the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

"Water, please," Laura accepted, following him through to the kitchen. The room looked well lived-in, but clean and welcoming. She seated herself at the table. "Dinner smells great. Did you cook?"

Derek shook his head. "Stiles did. I was... occupied." _By worrying my head off_.

Laura could understand that; she'd barely slept the night before. "He has a daughter?" she asked, changing the subject. "Does she know you two are involved?"

Derek smiled. "Claudia," he supplied. "And yes, she does-- she's hiding in her room because apparently we surpassed her limit for couple stuff."

Again, Laura laughed. "Sounds familiar," she acknowledged. They lapsed very quickly into silence, and when her gaze fell on a photograph, Stiles and Derek and a little girl who could only be Claudia grinning at each other, not even looking at the camera, Laura felt the weight of the awkward atmosphere pressing in on her. The time for small talk was over. "Derek, I-- I should have been there for you. I should know that these people are your _family_. I'm so sorry."

Derek, who'd been checking on the roast, braced himself against the counter. He took a couple of deep breaths before he turned around. "Yes, you should have, and you should be," he said, struggling to keep his voice level. "Why weren't you?"

"I didn't know _how_ ," Laura said, pleading, as she got to her feet. "What are you supposed to say when you let your baby brother get taken away from you and violated, _twice_? How do you make that better?" There were tears in her eyes now, and though her hands twitched at her sides she didn't reach out to Derek.

"I don't know, maybe you _apologize_ ," Derek hissed, mindful of Claudia and Stiles upstairs. "That seems like a fucking good place to start, if you feel so damned guilty. I heard _nothing_ from you, Cora, Phillip, or anyone besides Mom and Dad, and all they ever did was talk to lawyers and tell me that they'd scheduled me meetings with a shrink and that they'd make sure I didn't have to worry about money or anything. I never heard them apologize, or tell me they loved me!" Derek's voice was climbing, and he forced himself to stop and take a breath before continuing. "I went through everything _alone_ , Laura."

"Well, so did I!" Laura cried, anguished. "Mom and Dad felt awful, sure, but I'm your big sister. It's my job to look out for you, to keep you safe, and I failed! Do you have any idea what it was like when you were gone, not knowing where you were or what was happening to you? And then once you were found, do you think it was any easier actually knowing?" She stopped, took a breath, and forced herself to calm down. "It was nothing compared to what you went through, Derek, I know that, but it was still _horrendous_. And Mom and Dad were so busy fluttering around you, throwing money at you because it was all they knew how to do, and I had to deal with everything I was feeling on my own. I had to deal with knowing I'd let you down on my own." She was breathing hard by the time she finished, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she stood her ground, ready for whatever Derek would throw at her next.

Derek scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to keep himself in check and think of what to say next-- but Derek had always been shit with words, had always expressed himself better through action. So he did the only thing he knew would show Laura that he understood: he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his sister for the first time in years.

That was how Stiles found them a few minutes later, holding each other in the middle of his kitchen. He was loathe to disturb them, but if he left them much longer his roast was going to burn. "Is everything okay?" he asked quietly. "I heard yelling."

Derek was just as reluctant to let go of his sister, but he did-- at least enough to pick his head up and answer Stiles. "We're getting there," he answered honestly.

Stiles nodded, offering Derek a warm smile. "Are we ready for dinner?"

Derek exchanged a glance with Laura, then nodded. "Yeah, I think we are."

"Claudia's still upstairs," Stiles said quietly. "If you could turn the oven off for me?" He slipped from the room, and Laura finally released her brother.

"I can go," she offered, her voice hoarse from crying. "Let you have some space."

Derek shook his head. "No; Claudia's really excited to meet you. Stay for dinner, at least. Please?"

How could Laura refuse? "Of course," she said, smiling. "I'd love to."

Claudia came bounding in a moment later, and bounced straight up to Derek, her arms going around his leg. "Daddy said you were going to stop kissing now," she mumbled into the fabric of his trousers, and then she caught sight of Laura. "Are you my dad's sister?"

"No, sweetie; I'm Derek's sister."

Claudia made a sound of disgust. "Derek _is_ my dad."

The look Laura gave Derek was priceless.

Derek couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Laura face. "Baby, why don't you get the table set, okay? Daddy and I need to handle the food." Claudia wasn't allowed near the open oven without supervision just yet. Claudia huffed a sigh, but complied, tugging Laura along with her, insisting that the older woman help.

Claudia took the opportunity to quiz Laura - did she have children? Yes, two. Were any of them Claudia's age? Yes, the boy. Could he come over to play? Yes, if her daddy said it was okay. _Daddies_ , Claudia corrected, and then started to test Laura's knowledge of dinosaurs.

Amused and endeared, Stiles used their distraction to press a kiss to Derek's cheek. "Everything okay?" he asked softly.

Derek sighed, leaning into Stiles briefly. "I think it will be," he said, voice just as soft before starting to retrieve the food.

 

************

The rest of dinner was, thankfully, nowhere near as emotionally charged. Claudia quizzed Laura on several different subjects, eventually deciding that Laura passed all the tests and was worthy of the title "Aunt Laura". This was followed by Claudia bringing down one of her favorite books and demanding (thinly disguised as requesting) that Laura read to her while Stiles and Derek cleaned up.

Laura didn't stay for much longer after that, but she left with a tentative promise to come over again in a week or two. Derek didn't really give her a straight answer when she asked if she could bring Cora. Once she was gone and Claudia put to bed, Derek sank down onto the couch, resting his head in his hands for a moment before looking to Stiles with a small smile. "Thank you," he said sincerely. "I-- It was good to see her."

Stiles laid his hand on Derek's back, rubbing in slow, soothing circles. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

Derek thought for a moment, sorting out what he wanted to say. "I really thought they'd abandoned me," he admitted, voice quiet. "I thought, y'know, that Mom and Dad were just doing what they thought they were obligated to do, that they didn't really want anything to do with me."

"I get that," Stiles murmured, his hand still moving on Derek's back. "But they love you so much. You're theirs, y'know?"

Derek sighed and leaned into Stiles, shifting so that he could rest his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Yeah. It just, never really felt like it, after Kate." He was quiet for a moment before adding, "I guess I might be a bit to blame, too. I never reached out to them, either." He'd pretty much shut down, especially after the second time. Didn't talk to anyone except Deaton, and more often than not that had been either monosyllabic grunts or furious rants for the first several months.

Stiles sighed and kissed the top of his head. "No one blames you for that, though. What you went through... Anyone would need some alone time."

"Even after, though," Derek said, staring a hole in the patch of carpet in front of the couch, "when I felt... able to, I never did."

Stiles closed his eyes. He couldn't imagine being in Derek's position, but he could imagine being in his parents'. It was one of his biggest fears, something terrible happening to his daughter, and he knew in his heart that he would never in a million years leave her to deal with something that big on her own, even if she screamed in his face to back off. "It wasn't your responsibility," he said at last. "They should have looked after you. But they're here now, or at least Laura is, and if you feel ready to forgive them then maybe you can all start to move on."

Derek was quiet for several long moments. "I think I am," he whispered finally. "I miss them."

"Then let Laura bring Cora next time," Stiles encouraged.

Derek hesitated, but only briefly. "Okay."

Stiles smiled and wrapped both of his arms around Derek. "I'm so proud of you," he murmured.

Derek leaned more fully into Stiles, accepting the comfort. "I love you so much," he murmured, smiling. "You're far too good to me."

"Not at all," Stiles whispered back. "You deserve everything I can give to you and more."

Derek shifted around, poking and prodding at Stiles until they were laying on the couch. "I'm not going anywhere, so you'll have plenty of time to convince me," he said with a grin, placing a quick kiss on Stiles's lips.

Stiles matched Derek's grin, and their next kiss was slower, deeper. "Sounds perfect to me."


End file.
